Cowboy Blade
by Strider K
Summary: Ram defeated, new worshippers of Zoot seek out a powerful weapon. Meanwhile, a drifter searches for his lost love, answers to his past, and faces his inner demons.
1. The Return of Power and Chaos

Cowboy Blade - The Ragnarok Saga  
By Kevin  
  
Prologue  
  
Forget what you know and think you know, because this is the REAL world.   
There are no superheroes, no spider senses, and certainly no mutant healing. Just like there are no more adults in the world.  
At least none of the older generation....but then again, there is always more than meets the eye.  
Three months ago, the "children of the new world," the Tribeworld, discovered that the future holds so many mysteries, both explainable and not.  
And this night, there is a man whose been through the most painful, the most greatest, and the most dangerous of life. A young man born of both worlds: shadow and light.  
And right now...he is bleeding to death.  
  
He clutched his hand hard against the wound on his side. Though there were more, he clutched only the worst of his wounds.  
A dark figure limped into the mall and collapsed against the statue.  
His energy drained from both the tiredness of his muscles and the loss of blood.  
He would have to tend to the wound quick in order to survive, but right now he couldn't even keep his eyes open.  
As his hand trailed down the statues smooth but hard surface, blood followed with it.  
"Ash!"  
A beautiful young girl ran to his side and held his weakened body in her arms.  
Followed closely by a tall and lanky dark brown haired boy.  
They say your life flashes before you die.  
The moment he felt her arms touch him, the memories came flooding....  
  
Then-Three months earlier after the defeat of the Technos and the sudden reappearance of Zoot  
  
Java looked up to the spy dog.   
She had to grin to herself for such great planning, and acting as well.  
And now, Ram was out of the way, leaving them all the power they needed.  
"Mission accomplished." Mega grinned triumphantly.  
"A rather nice job. I just hope that our little VR Zoot will be enough to scare off my scheming little witch of a sister." Java scowled at the mention of her sister.  
"Don't worry. The last time I checked, she was going all hysterical on Jay."  
Mega shook his head as he chuckled. "The fools actually think they have won. That the Technos are defeated."  
Java brought the wine glass to her lips, letting the sweet taste pour down her throat before she settled in the chair.  
"Oh, I've got some more good news. Jay's planning on joining those Mallrats. With him out of the way, we can complete Ram's secret weapon."   
Java looked up from her glass with her forehead wrinkled. "Secret weapon. What are you talking about?"  
"Oh, you didn't know?" Mega smirked as he crossed his arms. "I've been doing some research as of late, and apparently our boss was looking up something. He called the file Ram's Secret Weapon."  
"I wasn't told of this." Java looked upset.  
Mega only shrugged. "I guess he didn't trust even his wives…."  
The lights started to flicker within the room. Within seconds, the room was dark. As was the entire building.  
"What the..?" Java looked up at Mega confused.  
Mega looked outside through the window.  
Kids who used Paradise threw off their helmets, shaking them violently. While other kids were outside, looking baffled.  
The power had gone out.  
"Ram. He must've triggered the power line in case anything should happen to him." Mega hissed before walking out.  
"Where are you going?" Java called.  
"Where else. To turn the power back on." He called back.  
She sighed as she looked around the room. "Just great." she groaned.  
…Was it her or did it suddenly get kind of cold?  
She hugged herself and ran her hands fast up and down her arms to keep warmth.  
The door of the room suddenly cracked open, then came footsteps.  
Great, what now, she thought.  
"Let me guess. Mega needs my hel…" she turned, and her eyes went slit when she saw who it was.  
"What are you doing here?!" she sneered.  
A hand suddenly gripped tightly around her neck.  
"W-what are you…"  
"Come. Zoot awaits you."   
"Zoot's dead." Java managed.  
"No."  
From out of the shadow, Ebony leaned closer to her sister with a sadistic smile. The same smile she had always on her face when she was Queen of the Locos.  
Another pair of footsteps were coming. A girl, dressed up like Zoot, walked in with a file in her hand.  
"I've got it." she told Ebony.  
"May Zoot bless you, Sister." Ebony told the girl.  
Java's eyes went wide when she saw the girl.  
"What the hell is going on?!" she cried.  
Ebony looked back to her sister.  
"It's you knew the truth, Java. It's time you knew everything."  
  
"Java! I've got bad news…!"  
Mega ran into an empty room where he was sure Java was staying.  
"What…Java?"  
He searched down the hallway, but no sign.  
"Java!" 


	2. The Trial of Zoot

Chapter 1  
The Trial of Zoot  
  
A thug looking teenage boy flew out into the streets from the Saloon.  
In the entrance, Ruby tossed the Paradise VR helmet at him.  
"And take this with you!"   
The thug quickly grabbed his helmet and took off.  
"Paradise users." Ruby said disgustingly to herself.  
Inside the Saloon, Slade and Ram applauded the scene of their boss showing she was definitely a force to be reckoned with.  
"No, you'll still have to pay during work hours." she told them with a teasing smile.  
"Oh come on!" Slade pouted. "I was going to help you! But, you seemed to be doing OK by yourself so I thought, why bother? I'll only end up getting punched by you sooner or later."  
"Mm-hmm." Ruby shook her head. "Yeah."  
The Saloon owner turned from her two friends and started cleaning up the mess on the bar left behind by the thug.  
"If anyone can't read that sign…" she began.  
"I think they can read it, Ruby. I just think they really don't care about a girl and her authority." Ram admitted. "Back in my old days, I wouldn't have."  
"Glad to see I could become a great influence on you, Ram." Ruby smiled at him.  
"Hey, you two saved my butt back there in the city. You guys brought me back to health. I got to start being appreciative somewhere down the road. For now." he added.  
The music in the Saloon had stopped. Ruby groaned when she realized the jukebox was broken again.  
"Not again." she sighed.  
Ram raised an eyebrow. Slade could tell from his look, he was going to ask if the jukebox needed big time repairing.  
3...2...1...  
"Does that need big time repairing?" Ram nodded his head to the jukebox. "Because if it does, Ram the Man is for the job." he tried to sound cool.  
Slade tried not to choke on his drink from laughing, while Ruby gave Ram an appreciative look.  
"Could you do that for me, Ram? Thanks, I would love you forever if you did."  
"Consider it done." Ram saluted her and wheeled himself in his new wheelchair over to the jukebox, grabbing some tools.  
He paused suddenly and looked back up at Ruby. "Uh, when you said you…"  
"Ram." Ruby gave him a look.  
"Didn't think so." Ram said as he shook his head and started repairing on the jukebox.   
Slade chuckled again.  
When he looked up, he noticed Ruby rubbing her temples.  
"You OK?" he asked.  
"Hmm?" she looked to him, then flushed. "Oh yeah. I just…didn't get that much sleep last night."  
And I know why, Slade thought.  
"The dream?" he asked, but he knew the answer. He just had to make sure.  
It had been a month since Slade had brought Ram to Ruby's Saloon in the town Liberty, and brought the ex-Techno leader back to health. At first, neither Ram or Slade could get along with each other. They even had a fight that made Ruby nearly kick them out for good. But they had settled their differences and all three became friends, working at the Saloon.  
But in the past time Slade had known Ruby, she had been having a strange dream for the last couple of days.  
Women, strong women, dressed up like Zoot, invading the city with some strange new weapon. And leading them was none other that the thought-to-have-been-dead warrior prophet, or warrior tyrant, Zoot. In her dream as well was a dark figure riding a beast-like horse with a long sword in hand. Then she would see a sign saying "Pandorax" and then hear a hideous laugh, and the dream would end.  
She had told him the dream before. And today, unlike the other days where they all just shrugged it off, it seemed today would be an exception.  
"Jeez! A fine piece of work, and it looks like you don't even clean it!" Ram huffed from the side as he repaired the jukebox. "You probably never even bothered taking care of this, you…virts!"  
This time, Slade didn't hold in his laughter as Ruby rolled her eyes.  
"He really has to get over that word." Ruby sighed.  
  
Jay and Pride returned from their searching of Ebony and Java.  
"Anything?" Trudy asked.  
Jay just walked pass her and into his and Ebony's room. Or at least, his room now.  
Trudy watched him head into the room with a sympathetic expression. She could relate to him.  
At one point, she still had loved Bray. Not as much as before, but he was a part of her no matter what.  
Bray was gone, probably for good this time but Amber had a feeling that wasn't true.  
And then Hawk had come, and had gone. Returned with the Gaians back home. There was only a small attraction there. Nothing more or less.  
But Jay was suffering the worst. He had already lost a friend who became sick and twisted, he lost his first love, his brother, and now he might have lost the most precious part of him.  
"I'll go talk to him." Trudy told Pride. Pride nodded, and watched her head in his room and sit with him on the edge of his bed, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders. And soon, Jay let out all the anguish and pain through tears as Trudy held him in her arms.  
Amber had come up beside Pride, watching the scene. A little jealous though, but more caring than anything else.  
"Still no sign of Ebony." It was a statement.  
"I feel sorry for him." Pride looked to Amber. "I thought once we beat the Technos, everything would become right again. Yes, it would take time. But peace could be restored. But now," Pride looked back into Jay's room where Trudy continued to comfort him, "It's like the Technos were a sign, a bad omen of something to come."  
"I feel it too." Amber told him.   
Pride fell silent for a moment.  
It was a troubling silence.  
"There's something else." Pride admitted. "Lex and Patch have been snooping around for clues. They've been bumping in to kids all over the city who claim they have seen Zoot during the rebellion."  
Amber's eyes went wide in horror. "Z-Zoot? But, he's…he's dead. I saw it with my own eyes that night!"  
"I hope it's true. I just hope that the Paradise Ram created is just affecting their minds." Pride let out a heavy sigh.  
"…No." Amber suddenly whispered. "Ebony started acting strange right after we won the battle. She kept saying something about a prophecy and…" Amber looked up in realization, "Trudy told me that Ebony saw Zoot, and that he was talking to her."  
"Some of the kids said the same thing." came Lex as he and Patch walked up the stairs to the café.  
Both their looks were full of distress.  
"What's wrong?" Amber asked.  
Lex and Patch looked at each other, then back at Amber and Pride. "It's Jack. He's downstairs…"  
"Is he OK?!" Amber asked.   
"No. He's pretty shaken up. He claims that…Zoot attacked him."  
Amber and Pride shared a look, then hurried downstairs with Lex and Patch to find their friend.  
  
"It's so strange, isn't it Java? That you and your sisters served me not too long ago."  
Java's eyes became as wide as they could be, clouded by fear.  
She felt like she was that little girl again. Weak, scared, crying all the time.  
And for that moment, she was that little girl again.  
She was that little girl, because she saw him seated at a hand-made thrown.  
"N-no. You're dead." she cried.  
"As I told your sister, Java. Anything is possible."  
With a wicked chuckle, Zoot stood up from his thrown and up at Java. He held his hand out.  
She only could coward away.  
"You've become weak. Just like Siva. I brought you here for a purpose. To regain your strength, your fire as a warrior. A warrior who lives by…power and chaos."  
His hand was still out to her.  
Reluctantly, she took his hand. He brought her up to her feet.  
"Look at you," he cooed, "So beautiful."  
He started circling her slowly, while all she could do was look up and tremble.  
"Yet, so fragile. Not the Java I trained so well like your sisters. Especially Ebony."  
No words could come out from her lips, only small whimpers.  
"But I'm going to change all that. I'm going to turn you into a warrior, greater than you were before. Greater than any here!"  
Zoot waved his hand, and Java realized that she and Zoot were not alone in the room.  
Circling them were women, all women, dressed up like Zoot.  
The only one not dressed up like him was standing right in front of her. A girl who nearly mirrored her features.  
"I need a queen, and I need a lieutenant. One of you," he motioned to Java and Ebony, "Will be my queen, and one of you will be my lieutenant."  
He brought his face close to her cheek. "Remember the pain she caused you and your family. Bring out the anger towards your sister. Unleash the fires of hell and show that you are worthy to be my queen. To be…my woman."  
Two Zoot-dressed girls came into the center of the circle, handing both Ebony and Java staffs.  
At that moment, all the pain and suffering she could muster had changed her feelings quickly.  
There were no feelings, no emotions. There was only revenge.  
Both wanted it.  
At that moment, Java and Ebony became the warriors they were known to be by Zoot a long time ago.  
"And do hurry. We have much to discuss."   
Zoot ran his fingers along the folder that was labeled "Ragnarok."  
"And I mean, A LOT to discuss." 


	3. Legendary Bounty Hunter: Cowboy Blade

Chapter 2  
Legendary Bounty Hunter:  
Cowboy Blade  
  
Slade walked out of the Saloon to his motorbike, his helmet in hand.  
"Be right back! I'm heading to the city for awhile!" he called into the Saloon.  
"Be careful!" Ruby shouted back.  
"And tell no one that I'm here!" Ram shouted in the other room.  
"Yeah yeah yeah." Slade muttered as he mounted his motorbike.  
He was about to put his helmet on, until he realized something about a few kids.  
The citizens of Liberty were staring out in the distance. And soon their numbers grew until nearly half of the town was looking right outside the entrance.  
Wonder what's got them excited, he thought.  
He took a look himself, and knew why.  
In the distance, he barely saw a dark figure riding a motorbike much like his own, heading pretty quick to Liberty.  
Whoa, Slade thought, That's pretty fast.  
"Hey guys! We might have a visitor!" Slade shouted to the Saloon.  
Ruby and Ram soon joined him outside, and noticed the oncoming dark figure as well.  
The motorbike came to a quick but professional stop right by the town's entrance.  
People could see now the tall dark figure wore a black cowboy hat, a black leather raincoat, white V-neck shirt, black pants, black combat boots, black gloves, and a long sword on his back.  
Nobody could see his eyes the cowboy hat's brim cast a shadowy mask over his eyes.  
He tucked back a lock of his nearly shoulder-length dark hair.  
Everyone one was just silent as they continued to stare at him.  
But one of them did speak.  
"Uh, cool bike." Slade smiled.  
The stranger looked to him, and noticed the blond-haired girl who looked to be his age with a whip at her side.  
He mounted off his motorbike and walked to the saloon.  
He looked to the sign that said Ruby's, then down at Ruby herself.  
"Oh! Uh, yes we're open. Please, come on in." With that, Ruby moved to the side, as did Ram and both watched the dark stranger walk into the saloon.  
"On second thought, I think I'll stay." Slade quickly mounted off his motorbike and into the saloon with Ruby and Ram.  
The people gathered around the saloon as well.  
  
Ruby made her way to the other side of the bar. "What can I get you?" she asked him.  
Instead of speaking, he pointed to the soda drink behind her.  
"Coming right up." she smiled and filled up a large class of soda.  
"You know, I'm really surprised. Most of the people who come in here ask for beer and ale." she said, trying to stir up a conversation.  
It seemed to be an effort in vain when he wouldn't speak.  
"Then again, everybody's different in their own…" when she turned, she already saw his payment which was a pack of eight unused double A batteries. "…way."  
She handed him his drink, and he took his time gulping it down as he took a piece of paper from his raincoat's pocket and started reading.  
Slade and Ram tried to look over his shoulder and see what he was reading.  
Whatever it was, they couldn't understand it since it was written in Japanese.  
From what they could see of his face, he didn't look Japanese.  
"So, you're an expert in other languages?" she asked.  
"Sort of." he finally spoke.  
Finally, she thought.  
"So, what brings you to Liberty?" she asked.  
He didn't even answer that. And she knew why, because she already knew the answer. At least she thought she did.  
"You don't talk much, do you?" Ram spat out.  
Slade gave him a look that could have melted ice. But to their surprise, the stranger spoke again.  
"Actions are stronger than words. I talk when words are important." he explained without taking his eyes from the paper in hand, and the soda drink in the other.  
"Hey Ruby!"  
All eyes, except for the stranger, were at the entrance to the saloon.  
A large boy marched in with two of his buddies beside him, and the same thug from earlier behind him.  
"My little brother tells me you threw him out, just because he was in that Paradise thing." the large boy pointed to the thug who grinned with a smug  
"Apparently, your brother didn't read the sign." Ruby pointed to the sign on the bar. "No Paradise users allowed."  
The large boy got right into her face. "You don't tell us what to do around here, Ruby. We protect this place with our lives, and we should be allowed to do whatever we want."  
Ram wheeled back a few inches, a look of regret on his face.  
Ruby stepped out from the bar, the whip at her side.  
"No, it's simple. I pay you, you guard the saloon. That's the deal. This is MY place. You don't like my rules, then you can just forget our deal." Ruby told him.  
The large boy sudden grabbed her wrist rather tightly. "We'll leave when we want."  
With that, he shoved her down on the hardwood floor.  
"Now get us some drinks. Now!" the large boy demanded.  
Ruby glared up at him.  
"You think I'm joking..!" He suddenly brought his hand up.  
"Hey!" Slade grabbed a pool stick and marched up, but was blocked off by the two large boy's friends. "Back up, bud. This ain't any of your business."  
"It IS our business. You hit that girl and you're dead." Ram threatened the large boy.  
The large boy laughed as he brought his hand down. "Coming from a kid who can't walk, retard?"  
"I'm looking at a retard." Ram hissed.  
The thug who Ruby had thrown out grabbed Ram by his shirt, lifting him right out of the wheelchair.  
"You got something to say, freak?!"   
A noise echoed through the saloon, almost loud as thunder. It was the stranger who set down his drink rather hard on the bar without even breaking the glass.  
The stranger stood up from the stool and faced them all.  
"What is this, Halloween?" the large boy smirked.  
"…"  
"You got something to say, tough guy?" the large boy challenged.  
"I find it hard to believe that this lady hired weaklings to protect this place. Especially worthless thieves such as yourselves." the stranger said.  
The large boy walked away from Ruby, getting directly up close as he looked down at the stranger.  
"Nice hat. Nice sword too. I think I'll take it from you. First, I'll smash your face in, then break every bone in your body. Then, I'll chop you up into tiny little pieces with your own sword."  
The stranger looked up, and for a moment, Ruby could see his eyes. Dark blue eyes.  
"Big talkers are always weak." the stranger said.  
"You son of a…!"  
The large boy brought his fist to the stranger's face.  
The large fist never even made it too his face, as it was intercepted by a gloved hand. And followed closely by a loud bone-crushing sound.  
The large boy took back his hand, howling in pain and agony as he clutched his arm.  
Ruby managed to see his hand, and gasped when she saw the knuckles right out of the skin.  
The stranger slammed his palm right into the large boy's chest, and the large boy flew right across the saloon.  
"What the..?" one of the two goons turned, only to meet the stranger's fist directly in his face, breaking his nose. With the same hand, he smashed the other goon's shoulder with a chop.  
Pushing Ram aside and grabbing a pool stick, the thug charged the stranger.  
"Look out!" Ruby cried.  
Fast as lightening reflexes, the stranger pulled out a crossbow gun from under his raincoat, aiming it directly at the now stunned thug's head.  
The thug dropped the pool stick, and hurried out of the saloon.  
Folding back the bow of the crossbow gun, the stranger twirled the crossbow gun around his finger, then slid it in the holster of his belt underneath his raincoat.  
He didn't even have to use his sword, Ruby thought.  
Slade helped Ruby up, then helped Ram back in his wheelchair as Ruby walked up to the stranger, smiling widely.  
"That was…amazing!" she squeaked.  
"I second that." Slade raised his hand. "You have to be pretty strong to do stuff like that."  
The stranger said nothing. He grabbed his paper, rolling it back up and shoving it back in his raincoats pocket, then headed out the door.  
"Wait!" Ruby called to him.   
The stranger turned to face her.  
"Well, now that my protection is out, we're…in need of new help. If you can do all that kung-fuey stuff, will you please accept the job as protection of this Saloon. We don't have much, but I can promise you three meals a day and a great place to sleep." she offered.  
The stranger paused for a moment, then turned and left.  
"Guess that means no." she sighed.  
But today had just gotten even more weirder for her. She knew it was him.  
So he's alive after all. She thanked whoever was listening for that relief.  
  
"I can't believe it." came a voice as the stranger mounted his motorbike.  
And the voice was coming from the motorbike.  
"A girl you've been searching for is here and alive, and very beautiful if you ask me. But here you are, acting like your cold-shouldered self, turning down probably the best offer you've ever had in your days as a Jack of All Trades after you save her and her friends' lives, especially her bar."  
"I'm not turning down the offer." the stranger said to the motorbike.   
"Y-you're not?!"  
"Like you said. It's the best offer I've had in my days of being a bounty hunter."   
With that, the stranger headed back to the saloon.  
"Actually, I said Jack of All Trades, but that was close enough." the voice corrected.  
  
Ruby saw him standing again in the entrance just as she finished tossing out the large boy and his friends.  
"I'll do it." he said.  
"Good. I'm really thankful." Ruby walked up next to him. "Here, let me show you to your room." 


	4. A New Queen is Born

Chapter 3  
A New Queen is Born  
  
Ebony fell hard to the ground, her staff leaving her hands.  
The fight was over. The position as queen was decided as Java stood over the now defeated Ebony, a grin of triumph on her face while Ebony's was consorted with pain and anger.  
Both she and her sisters had plenty of share of pain and anger in the past.  
But tonight was Java's night. She had to be happy as it was she where Zoot stood by now, with his arms around her waist.  
"My female warriors! I give you your queen! All hail, Java!" Zoot shouted.  
"Power and Chaos! Power and Chaos!" they cheered on before Zoot held his hands in the air.  
"And I give you your lieutenant. Ebony." Zoot motioned his hand down at the fallen girl who all gave her the title, "Queen of Warriors."   
But now tonight, a new Queen of Warriors had been born.  
Finally, Java had gotten her revenge on her most hated sister. Quiet frankly, it felt good.  
Java bent down to her sister.  
"This time, little sis, there's no way your gonna have your way with Zoot."  
Jave stood back up, grinning like she had just taken over the universe.  
But when she turned, Zoot was already walking up to another girl.  
"Have you unlocked the codes?" he asked.  
"The codes have been changed, Lord Zoot. Only one person was capable of doing this."  
"Ram." Zoot hissed.   
"Our trackers have told us that Ram has been spotted in a town called Liberty, not too far from the city." the girl explained.  
Zoot nodded. "Head to the city, into alley in between a furniture store and a movie theater. There, you'll find a door, and look for an assassin. He's the only one there. Tell him that I said it's time to return the favor."  
"At once, Lord Zoot."  
The girl hurried off.  
  
"Liberty?" Pride asked.  
"Yeah. It's a town. Sorta based on those old cowboy movies in a way." Lex explained. "But they said that Ram has been staying there for the past month."  
"So we've got him." Patch said.  
"Exactly. My plan is, we break in, take him and tie him up, arrest whoever is helping him, trade him in for Salene, then maybe we could find Ebony."  
"And Java." Mega added.  
"Since when did you care about the well-being of that witch?" Lex asked with unmistakable challenge in his voice as he glared at Mega.  
He still didn't trust him. That was just Lex being Lex.  
"I think we better plan something else thought." Jay insisted. "We can't just break in, and we can't just give those other two what they want. We should get Ram, but we can trap the renegades using Ram as bait and…"  
"Aw come on! This place, Liberty, might be crawling with Ram followers and Paradise users. I say, we get ourselves some fighters, and do things my way."  
"And get innocent people killed?! Who do you think you are, Lex?!" Jay stood up.  
"Obviously someone whose gonna break your face in…"  
"That's enough!" Trudy shouted, shocking them both.  
"Look, we're not getting anywhere." Trudy began. "Lex, Jay is right. We can't just go in and cause bloodshed. We've had that before, remember?"  
"Oh yeah. I remember well, Supreme Mother." Lex turned his glare at her.   
"I think you need to get over the past, Lex." Pride spoke up.  
"No, it's all right, Pride." Trudy assured him. "Look, I don't know what you see me as Lex, and quiet frankly, I don't care. But I'm telling you Lex, that if you start another war for us, you're no better than Ram, or the Guardian, or Zoot."  
Lex's face fell at that.  
Each day she's becoming stronger, Jay thought as he looked up at Trudy surprised.  
"So then," Lex said in a much more calmer voice, "What do we do?"  
Amber stood up. "We got to Liberty. We talk with Ram. No fighting. Understood." She looked to Lex, Pride, and Jay.  
Lex gave her a nod, while Pride and Jay said, "Yeah."  
  
Finally, the place was starting to look descent. No brawls, no rule-breaking. Just people having fun without a riot.  
And it was all thanks to a man standing by the entrance with his arms crossed.  
I knew I made the right decision in hiring him, Ruby thought.  
To top things all off, there were no Paradise users tonight.  
The saloon owner walked up to the dark stranger.  
"Hey." she said. "How are you feeling?"  
He said nothing.  
"Thirsty?" she asked.  
He shook his head as he continued watching the crowd in the saloon.  
He suddenly leaned down to her.   
"There's a man with a knife. The one in the blue vest." he pointed out.  
Ruby saw the man he was talking about. She grabbed her whip, and tossed it around the knife in the young man's back pocket, then tugged her whip back with the knife still wrapped in its coils.  
She tossed the knife over the bar in a box.  
"Happens all the time." she told him. "You know, it's always lively when at night here."  
"…"  
"Oh. Forgot. You only talk when it's important to." she smirked.  
Still nothing from him, even if that was an insult.  
"So, what exactly is it that you do for a living?" she asked him.  
And he had no problems or insecurities answering that.  
"Bounty Hunter." he answered.  
She spit out her drink.  
"No kidding." she choked as she wiped her mouth. "Are you after somebody in this town, or are you just taking a break?"  
"You ask a lot of questions." he said.  
"Just curious about the people who are working for me. I have to make sure if there here to make trouble or not. You have a problem with that?" she asked.  
Suddenly, he turned his head so he was facing her.   
"You hired me. You pay me and I follow your orders."   
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Almost like they were sizing the other up.  
Her emerald green eyes traveled under the rims of his hat as she peered at his eyes.  
It was confirmed officially now. She knew she recognized him.  
For a moment, her eyes full of respect stared back at his blue eyes that showed…nothing at all. Not a single emotion.  
Almost like if he was dead.  
"Hey Ruby!" Ram called to her. "I need you over here for a sec!"  
"Coming!" she called back.  
She took one last glance at the stranger before heading over to Ram. 


	5. Edge

Chapter 4  
Edge  
  
Four shadows crept into the town of Liberty. None acknowledged their presence, thinking they were just kids looking to get away from the city life for awhile or just for good.  
The four came to a the saloon titled Ruby's.   
"So this is the place." one of them said.  
It looked closed, but the same who had spoken was not one to be with patients, and slammed the door of the entrance open.  
The others tried to call him back, but he was already inside, and a dark arm was wrapped tightly around his throat.  
In seconds, the lights came on. Ruby, Slade, and Ram watched along with Amber, Jay, and Trudy standing by the entrance as Lex was held in the tight grip of the mysterious bounty hunter.  
It was only a few seconds, and already Lex's face was already turning blue from the lack of oxygen.  
"Wait!" Ruby cried. "Let him go."  
Obliging his new boss's order, the bounty hunter/guard of the saloon let go of Lex, and the deputy sheriff bent over coughing and breathing for air as Trudy patted his back.  
Amber looked apologetic to the girl. "I'm very sorry about all this. But Lex is very hard to control sometimes."  
"Then keep him on a leash." Ruby scowled.   
Her remark had earned a chuckle from Slade and Ram, and even Jay.  
"I think that might not be a good idea next time." Lex muttered as he rubbed the redness of his neck.  
The bounty hunter stood with his arms crossed over his chest.  
"Hell of a grip there, mate." Lex complemented the dark hunter. "Cool hat if I might add."  
The bounty hunter said nothing in reply.  
"Hi Jay."   
Everyone but the bounty hunter turned to see Ram, his hair no longer in gelled horns, this time just as it was in the Paradise system.  
Jay could only give him a cold stare, a stare that Ram mirrored. "Hello Ram."  
Slade looked back and forth to Ram and Jay. That's when he noticed that Jay was wearing the same outfit as…  
"Ram." Slade looked down at his friend. "Leader of the Technos…"  
"EX-leader." Ram corrected, not taking his eyes away from the Mallrats.  
"So, you're alive." Jay said rather blankly.  
"Yeah. Guess the Powers That Be gave me a second chance in life to smell the roses." Ram sighed.  
Jay blinked in surprise. The Ram he knew would never say something like that, even if he was acting.  
Ram didn't believe in anything or anyone but the power of technology.   
"So, you say you changed?" Jay asked.  
Ram was about to speak, until he looked up at the bounty hunter and remembered his words from this morning.  
"Actions are stronger than words, Jay. And I do regret my…"  
"Just save it!" Jay hissed. "I don't believe you, Ram. I will never believe a word you say! You killed my brother, you killed this man's wife," Jay pointed to Lex, "And you killed a friend close like a brother and a husband to these two women," he then pointed to Trudy and Amber.  
Ram didn't say anything back. He only looked to the Mallrats who shared together the anguish and pain caused by him in the past.  
But…dead?  
"There's a difference between being deleted and being dead, Jay. First off, Bray and Tai-San are not dead." Ram revealed.  
Amber gasped as Trudy and Lex looked on in disbelief.  
"You mean…they're alive?" Lex asked.  
"Of course. Just relocated." Ram admitted. "We were looking for the two people who knew of the ingredients of the antidote for the virus, and we found them. Tai-San's our medical advisor, and Bray is our…new general."  
"Then where are they?" Amber demanded.  
Ram shook his head. "I don't know. Mega was in charge of…"  
"Mega?!" Lex cried.   
Ram nodded, lookind oddly to Lex.  
And Jay seemed to know why.  
"I told you, didn't I?" Lex looked to Jay. "I told you we couldn't trust him!"   
"Wait a minute!" Ruby held up her hands. "Could everybody take a breather here and tell those who don't know this what's going on?! And why are the Mallrats in my Saloon?!"  
  
Then-One hour ago in the city.  
  
The Zoot-look-alike girl opened the door in the alley covered in graffiti and walked into the darkened room.  
"Hello?" she called. Her voice only echoed, but there was no other at present.  
He must be gone, she thought.  
She began to close the door and head out, until she heard a strange hissing the sound.  
A hissing sound of a sword scratching gently against the wall.  
"Nice outfit. What do you want?" came a male Maori voice.  
She jumped at the sound of his voice, then looked around the dark room.  
"Are-are you an…assassin?" she asked nervously.  
"…guess you could say that." the Maori voice spoke again.  
"My master, Mighty Zoot himself says he has a job for you. He says it's to return the dept."   
The voice as silent for a moment. Until she heard, "Yeah, I remember him. So the bugger's alive. What does he want me to do?"  
"He says to go to the town of Liberty. There, you will find a person called Ram, a boy who can't walk. You are to bring him to Zoot, alive. If you find it impossible to do that, then Zoot says to drive the information for the code of Ragnarok out of him then kill him. There must also be no witnesses."  
The voice suddenly let out an eerie laugh. One that could possibly haunt her in her nightmares.  
"Ah. Only Zoot can grant me the best of jobs. Tell your boss it will be done. I will bring him in by morning's time."  
The girl bowed, and headed out.  
  
Now-In Ruby's Saloon.  
  
For an hour, Ram had explained everything to Slade and Ruby of who he really was, and at the same time about Bray and Tai-San to Trudy, Amber, and Lex.  
"That's all I know." he said looking straight up at them. "Mega was in charge of mostly everything. Where the people we've caught went, equipment…he was a second general to Jay."  
"So it really was Mega." Jay shook his head. "When I get back, I'm gonna have a little chat with my good ol' pal."   
"We both are. Except you can talk, while I smash his face in." Lex added.  
Ignoring Lex comment, Jay spoke to Ram again, "There's something else. Wizard and Stats have kidnapped our friend, Salene. If we turn you in, we don't get to see Salene ever."  
"Stats and Wizard." Ram smirked. "Who were they again?"  
"They were security guards posted at the entrance of the hotel." Jay thought for a moment. "I think."  
"Wait a minute." Slade held up his hand. "They want Ram in exchange for your friend."  
A sudden realization overcame him.   
"That's why you're here. You've come to take Ram back. Well guess what? It's not happening."   
"You're defending him?" Lex smirked. "Do you even know what he's done to the kids back in the city? Do you know of what he's even capable of, or did you go fallen for his lies as well like blondie over here." Lex pointed to Jay.  
"Hey!" Jay exclaimed.  
"He's told us. But believe me, he has changed. He's helped put this place back together…" Ruby began.  
"He's got you tricked! Once your back's turned, he'll shove you down the steps like he did with others." Lex stared menacingly to Ram, who hung his head.  
"Yeah, well guess what deputy? This isn't the city, this is my home…and this is my saloon. So, what ever has happened back there in the city no longer matters anymore." Ruby glared at him.   
"She's right." Amber spoke up. "This isn't the city, Lex. So, they don't go by the laws of the city."  
"But…what about Salene?!"   
Ram slid something across the table to Jay. And Jay recognized it well.  
"A tracker."  
"The suits of the Technos are specially made. I never told anyone this, not even Mega. But I've inserted small chips within the uniforms, that way incase they have no com-links or phasers. Mine specially designed, you'll find Stats and Wizard."  
Jay looked up from the device, and a word he never thought he would be saying to Ram had escaped his lips.  
"Thanks."  
Amber and Trudy looked up to him surprised. As for Lex, his attention came across the bounty hunter standing silently and still by the entrance.  
The way he unfolded his arms slowly is the reason why Lex looked over to him.  
He was facing outside…  
"Game time." the bounty hunter said.  
All eyes were on him.  
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.  
"Blood in the air. Someone has come," he turned to the group, "Possibly an assassin."  
"You know this?" Amber asked. "How?"  
"You should know." he said rather almost like a remark to her.  
Amber raised an eyebrow to the bounty hunter. He had offended her, and she didn't know why.  
But why was it that he looked so familiar?  
That's when she saw the sword strapped to his back as he turned to head out.  
Knight had a sword like that, she thought.  
"Hey wait a minute!" Lex called to the bounty hunter. "Who the heck are you?"  
The bounty hunter stopped, then looked over his shoulder peering through the shadow of the rims of his hat at Lex.  
"I mean, I'd like to know who you are so I can find you and have a little spar. If you don't mind that is."  
"….Blade." the bounty hunter answered, then headed out of the saloon.  
Lex's eyes went wide, but his were not the only one.  
"Blade." Lex said for a moment. "Oh my god. That was the legendary bounty hunter. Cowboy Blade!"  
Everyone just stared in shock.  
"I've heard about him." Slade spoke up.   
Just never thought he was real, he thought, who couldn't think he wasn't real?!  
  
"Well well. Look what we got ourselves here." came the voice of a tall boy dressed up in tight black leather.  
His face was covered in a sad Drama mask in black and white.   
"A clown from hell," Blade said.  
The assassin nodded. "Some call me that. The name's Over the Edge, or just Edge for sort. And I take it you can guess why they call me that. But incase you don't, I'm Over the Edge cause I'm one complete extreme psycho. Also the best assassin in the city."  
"I heard of you." Blade spoke again. "I thought you were bigger."  
Edge looked dumbfounded for a moment.  
"Oh! You mean those rumors. Eh, everybody makes everything up. What about you, Cowboy? Who are you suppose to be?" Edge asked curiously.  
"…"  
"Hmm. Zoot's messenger didn't tell me they hired a silent bodyguard. But this is gonna be way more easy…but much more fun since I get to kill any who get in my way."  
"Zoot. So he lives."   
"Not like it's any of your business! Since you die, NOW!!"  
Edge tossed something towards Blade. A double-bladed boomerang with the center handle the size of his hand.  
His special weapon.  
The bladed boomerang came at Blade's face, but incredibly the bounty hunter dodged the weapon.  
The bladed boomerang came around again, heading back to Blade.  
But suddenly, the bounty hunter stepped to the side again and the boomerang went in circles around the hilt of his sword.  
What the, thought the assassin.  
Suddenly, the double-bladed boomerang was swinging right back at its beholder, coming in faster than before.  
Edge's eyes went wide in horror, feeling that if the boomerang came any closer that it would slice his head right open.  
He prevented it as he thrust his hand out and stopped the boomerang by grabbing its handle.  
It was enough of a distraction for Cowboy Blade to rush the assassin and send a flying kick to his painted face.  
The assassin flew back along with his weapon against a large tree planted in the center of the town.  
Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, Edge looked up to the bounty hunter.  
One thing was clear now. He came unprepared for this mission. And because of his unprepared situation, he failed to get the job done.  
"Never cross paths with me again." Blade threatened.  
"Oh, but we will meet again." Edge laughed through the pain. "But next time, you won't be so lucky."  
With that, Edge quickly grabbed his double-bladed boomerang and retreated away out of Liberty.  
"Ha ha ha." Blade heard a laughter from the shack of the Saloon.  
"I guess that clown was no mere match for you, Cowboy Blade." mysteriously spoke his motorbike. "I would've like to see you use that sword of yours. It's been so long since you've used it in combat."  
"That's quiet enough." Blade spoke back to his motorbike.   
"Oh fine. What do I know? I'm just an old piece of junk that's been carrying your butt around for the last couple of years now and…" There was a slight pause. "Someone's here."  
"I know." Blade said.  
  
The Zoot-look-alike girl's eyes went wide when she saw the bounty hunter looking in her direction.  
She made a move to run off like Edge had done, but something had blocked her way.  
It was Cowboy Blade.   
But how did he move so fast to get in front of her?! 


	6. Ragnarok

Chapter 5  
Ragnarok  
  
"Blade!" the Zoot-look-alike girl exclaimed. "The legendary bounty hunter, Cowboy Blade?!"  
"That's right, missy." Lex grinned as he looked to the bounty hunter standing with his arms crossed again. "The most dangerous man to ever walk the face of the earth. Ain't that right, Blade?"  
Blade said nothing.  
His name had still caused a huge sensation within the Saloon. Even the now awaken town of Liberty was ecstatic of hearing his name, of gaining the knowledge that the "Agent of Death" was among them.  
"You know what his name means? Well, I'll tell you anyway. Cowboy, because he's for hire, only a warrior for hire who doesn't lead meat from one place to the other. And Blade, because he's one dangerous mother…"  
"I think she gets the point, Lex." Trudy interrupted him with a stern look.  
"Oh. Yeah…uh, I just wanted her to make sure she knows what she's dealing with if she doesn't talk." Lex spoke as he glared down at the girl.  
"I'll never talk. Never would I betray my master to the weak, even if he is Cowboy Blade." the girl spat on Lex's boot.  
"Zoot uses you." Blade spoke. Everyone looked to him. "To the Chosen, he was God. A false god though, with a false priest who wanted nothing but power himself. He used your master's memory as his weapon next to fear."  
The girl snorted. "And what does a mere bounty hunter know of anything?"  
A gloved hand slammed hard against the back of her chair, nearly knocking her right over. Before she knew it, she stared back in the shadowed cold eyes of the bounty hunter.  
"Death is my specialty. Fear comes in second." he sneered.  
For that moment, it was fear in her eyes. This warrior was drop-dead serious.  
"Y-you're going to let him kill me?!" she cried to the others.  
"No, your master will." Blade told her. "Now talk."  
"Why did Zoot send an assassin here? And how is it that he's alive?" Amber asked.  
The girl kept her eyes on the bounty hunter, and his sword.  
"He-he m-made me hire the assassin to find…Ram." the girl admitted. "Only Ram knows the code to a secret weapon we have been searching for a long time now."  
"Ragnarok." Ram gasped.   
"You know something about it?" Lex asked the ex-Techno leader.  
"I should. I found the weapon after all." Ram replied. "But you might as well tell your master that it's not happening. Ragnarok is incomplete…."  
"But we have the last part." the girl revealed. "All we need is the weapon itself, and Zoot will rule the world with power and chaos."  
"You still haven't answered the last question." Amber said. "How is it that Zoot is alive? I was there when he died, as were my friends here." she acknowledged Trudy and Lex.  
"My master had rejected death, and was able to leave of the burning boat and swim back to shore. That is all you need to know. You want the whole story? Then you ask my master, that is if he lets you live." the girl grinned.  
Her grin faded when suddenly Blade cupped her face in his gloved hands gently.  
And that same look of fear was back in her eyes.  
He was going to kill her! He was going to break her neck, or crush her head till her brains were smashed!  
Or at least she thought.  
"Zoot is human. As all we are. He has no power, no control over you. You have control of your own destiny. Of your own life. Now live it." he spoke.  
With that, he brought his thumbs up to her temples, and the girl suddenly gasped.  
Tears started to fall from her eyes and run down her cheeks, ruining the mascara and the tribal painting on the side of her face.  
And suddenly she smiled.  
"Go." Blade told her as he stood back up and made a path for her.  
She ran her hands over her face, and laughed with tears of joy. She was happy.  
Quickly, she ran out, but stopped and turned around back at the bounty hunter. "Thank you." she said through her tears.  
The police cap flew off her head as she ran.  
Everyone looked speechless at what he had just done.  
"W-what did you do?" Slade asked.  
"I freed her." he answered coldly as he crossed his arms again.  
"Freed her? What…could you explain to me why you let a prisoner go?" Lex exclaimed.  
Blade said nothing else and walked to the entrance where he was positioned for guard duty.  
"What is with this guy?" Lex asked.  
"That's not important right now, Lex. What's now important is about this Ragnarok. Why was I never told of this?" Jay looked to Ram.  
Ram gave him a look telling him he should already know.  
And Jay admitted to himself that he nearly had forgotten as well.  
"Mega."  
"But what is this Ragnoodle or whatever?" Lex asked.  
"Ragnarok." Ram corrected. "It's some sort of secret weapon created by Pandorax. It is said it can wipe out half a city in less than three seconds."  
"Great. Well, if Messiah over here hadn't FREED that girl, we could've had some better answers." Lex pointed to Blade who gave him a sharp glare.  
"We're wasting time here." Trudy spoke up. "Ram doesn't seem to know much about what Ragnarok is, and so far neither does Zoot. So that gives us a head start in all of this."  
"Ram, do you know where this Ragnarok is?" Jay asked.  
Ram nodded. "Death Valley, Nevada in America."  
Everyone but Cowboy Blade looked speechless.  
"Pandorax had to make sure this weapon was kept safe."  
"Ok then. We know this is a powerful weapon made by Pandorax, we know it's in Death Valley, America. So, now what do we do?" Lex asked.  
"Well it's obvious." Ruby spoke up. "I've heard of this Zoot guy, and I know you all feel the same way when I saw that we can't let Zoot get his hands on this Ragnarok. We have to intercept the weapon before he gets there."  
"And how do we do that?" Lex asked her. "We've got problems of our own down here, Sweety. One of our own is missing, we've got kids getting sick from that Paradise game, and to make matters worse there are riots shouting Zoot Lives!"  
Ruby looked away for a moment. So the Mallrats had their hands full. She remember staying in the city for awhile, and it being run down by Zoot and his warriors.   
She would not allow that to happen again.   
Ruby turned to her friends. "Slade?" she called to him.  
Slade looked over to her.  
"Do you think you can watch the bar with Ram while I'm gone?"  
Slade and Ram were both speechless.  
"Please don't give me those looks. This is something I have…I want to do." Ruby told them.  
Amber walked up to the girl. "No. We can't ask you to endanger your life for our sake. We've already caused you enough trouble…."  
"Well guess what? It's a bit too late for apologizing. And besides, this isn't just for you. It's for all those children who Zoot had tortured to death. Even in their sleep." Ruby said sternly.  
The corners of Amber's mouth curved up into a satisfied grin.  
I like her, she thought.  
Lex suddenly paused, and a grin crept up on his face as he turned to the bounty hunter standing like a statue in silence.  
"Hey Blade?"  
The bounty hunter looked up.  
"Say if we were to put a bounty on Zoot's head." Lex raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Where is Ram and my messenger?" Zoot asked.  
Edge scowled at the ex-Loco king. "Hate to break it to you, but it looks like someone was ready for you."  
The tyrant of the city raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Forgive me for not fully understanding here, Edge."  
"Well apparently, those kids down at Liberty town had a bodyguard. Tough son of a gun. In fact, I'd say he was no average fighter."  
"And you claim yourself to be the best assassin in the city." Zoot scoffed.   
"Don't know what happened to your girl though. Maybe she got chopped into tiny little pieces with that sword the guy was carrying." Edge shrugged with a sadistic grin.  
"Enough of your psychotic humor, now go before I have you killed right here on the spot for letting me down!" Zoot demanded.  
Edge glared to his client, but began heading off out of the temple.  
"And Edge?" Zoot called him back. "I guess this means you still owe me." he reminded.  
"Yeah." the assassin kept on walking.  
For now anyways, he thought as his sadistic grin grew even more. 


	7. The Journey

Chapter 6  
The Journey  
  
"Ah, going away are we? Do send a postcard and keep me updated on your little adventure!" the motorbike spoke as Blade came walking in the shack of the saloon.  
A gloved hand suddenly reached and grabbed a watch-like device from where the miles and fuel were on the bike and strapped to his wrist under his glove.  
"H-hey! What are you doing?!" the device asked. So the voice was actually coming from a small device the whole time.  
"You're coming with me. I'm going to need your help." Blade said.  
The device let out a light chuckle. "Ha ha! Of course you would! After all, where would you be without me?" The voice paused for a second. "Don't answer that."  
As Cowboy Blade emerged from the shack, he saw Ruby saying her good-byes to Ram and Slade.  
He couldn't hear them, but their faces showed enough emotions to tell him the words being exchanged.  
Sadness and fear. They were afraid for their friend's life. He had earlier insisted in taking this job by himself, but she was determined to go.  
"I volunteered, so therefore I'm going. I didn't see your hand up before mind, or did you just raise it up really quick?" she had said.  
"You want to protect her. You're not falling in love with her are you?" the voice from the device asked.  
"You're out of line." Blade warned the device.   
"Hey I happen to know you well, Cowboy Blade. You think it's your code that forbids you to get close to another. You can't always envy these emotions, that's what makes you human. And I know that deep down inside, you crave the share of the warmth of one's heart. One day you'll learn that it's not impossible for a guy like you to fall in love."  
Blade said nothing.  
"I may be a demon trapped in this crystalline gem of this…whatever you call it. But I once knew a few things about humans."  
The bounty hunter just continued to watch as Ruby was saying her good-byes.  
"At least she wore a skirt." the voice laughed.  
"Don't get any ideas." Blade scowled at the device on his wrist.  
"Blade?"  
The bounty hunter turned to see Amber behind him.  
She gave him a small smile, looking at his face though she could barely see his eyes under the long rims of his hat.  
There was a pause as she fumbled with her hands for awhile.  
"I just wanted to say that…I know it's you, Knight. And I…" she began.  
"Eagle…"  
"Please, let me finish."   
Blade fell silent.  
"I just wanted to say…I'm sorry. I tried to help keep you in the Gaians, but the council…"  
"It's no use worrying about it now." Blade spoke in his deep and cold voice.   
Amber her hung her head then looked back up with a smile.  
"Just…be safe." she told him.  
Blade nodded, and watched her leave with the other Mallrats.  
Amber, the woman that many believed would bring the world into a better future, but what he could see she looked devastated as if someone had crumbled her world.  
He knew that feeling, it still haunted him from this very day.  
"This Bray she had talked about in that pub there, he was her lover and the father of her child. In case you are wondering." the voice said.  
Blade fell silent and turned to the blond now stood beside him with a satchel over her shoulder and her whip at the side of her belt.  
"You two old friends?" she asked.  
"…" The bounty hunter walked away.  
Gee, it's so nice to be traveling and getting back to old times with an old friend, she thought wryly and sarcastically at once.  
And so, the journey began.  
  
It was late in the afternoon as they were walking down a narrow path.   
"Why exactly didn't you bring your motorcycle?" Ruby groaned. "We could've gotten farther if you just…"  
Blade held up his hand as he stopped. He started walking into the side of the path. Ruby giving him a questioning glance.  
The forest have all types of strange noises both animal and not. It would always seemed to scare small children whenever they came in forests, thinking that a giant bear would come and eat them.  
But there was one sound that told Blade something that he was very much use too.   
Him and Ruby had been followed since they left Liberty.  
Blade started walking past a large bush. Too large in fact, that he quickly spun around and thrust his arms forward, catching whatever was hidden.  
With a sharp tug the bounty hunter pulled out none other then the deputy sheriff of the city himself.  
Lex gave him a nervous grin. "Uh, hey. Lovely afternoon, ain't it?"   
"Lex?" Ruby exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
Blade set Lex back down, allowing the deputy to fix his jacket. "Long story." he replied.  
"You were following us." Blade spoke up.  
"Okay, maybe not exactly a long story. I wanted to come with you guys. Don't ask me why, but I just have this feeling that I should be traveling with you." Lex admitted. "Besides," the deputy rolled his shoulders, "Zoot and I still have a little fight to duke out. He made the challenge right before he fell to the bottom floor of my home."  
Ruby and Blade both stared at him.  
"It's the truth! Honest…for once in my life." he held up his left hand.  
Ruby looked to Blade who was still looking at Lex.  
"Lets go then." the bounty hunter said and headed off again.  
"Great!" Lex grinned. "Don't worry about a thing, I got your backs. Your in the good hands of Sexy Lex, King of the Jungle."   
Ruby chuckled and patted the deputy's back. They both walked on together with Blade leading the way.  
"Why couldn't you at least have brought your motorbike. It would've been faster you know." Lex spoke up.  
"Don't need it." Blade said.  
"Don't need it?! It's nearly 100 degrees out here and Zoot could be already in America by now, and we don't need your motorbike?!" Lex exclaimed.  
"There's a boat leaving for America in a few hours just this way." Blade revealed without missing a step.  
"Oh." Lex smiled. "Well, in that case…."  
"Right there with you, pal." Ruby said to the deputy.  
  
"You all right?" Trudy asked her best friend.  
Amber nodded her head. "It just…feels good to get out once in awhile."  
Trudy agreed to that. Then Amber became silent for awhile. When Trudy looked up to her face, she could see the tears the young girl was struggling to hold back, and she was losing.  
"Oh Amber." Trudy put her arm around her friend.  
"I miss him." Amber paused for a moment. "Everyday I wonder, would it have been better to just stay back in the forest than return to him in the city?"  
"Of course. But then again, that's for you to decide. And besides Amber, it's over and done with in the past." She smiled down at her friend. "But you have a beautiful son that's waiting for you back home. The best we can do is just tell him about his father if we never do find Bray. We tell him the truth, that Bray was a good man. A true leader, just like his mother."  
"And you." Amber smiled at Trudy.  
Jay watched this silently from behind.  
They haven't lost faith, and neither will I.   
Jay pulled out a leather strap hanging around his neck from under his uniform. In the leather strap was Ebony's ring she had given him back at the Eco camp.  
I will find you, I promise. 


	8. The Cruise

Chapter 7  
The Cruise  
  
"Now this is a party!" Lex laughed as he was dancing with a group of girls surrounding him on the cruise ship, and most of those girls had men of their own, all scowling and sneering at Lex. It was amazing that none of them made a move to stop this to Ruby who was leaning against the railing next to Cowboy Blade.  
"What do you think of him?" she asked the bounty hunter.  
Blade looked to her, then to Lex.   
"A bad idea to bring him along." Blade sighed.  
She laughed. It felt good to laugh sometimes. What was shocking was that she was actually laughing at what this dark warrior had said.  
"You like him." came from the bounty hunter, clearly not a question and clearly directed at her.  
Ruby's smile faded into a blank expression. It was all he needed for an answer.  
"Your emotions are your weakness." he said as he looked back to the sea.  
Her head snapped in his direction. "And what would you know of emotions? From as long as I've known you, you could give a real crap about what anybody cares!" she said hotly.  
The bounty hunter didn't respond, nor did he look angry.  
But at that moment, Ruby had quickly regretted what she just said immediately. "I'm sorry."  
"No, how you judge others is none of my concern." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed she was laughing.  
"What?" he asked.  
She cleared her throat as she was still smiling and looked up to him. "Oh, it's just…well, you're talking. You're actually holding up a conversation."  
Blade growled.  
"I answered your question. The truth is that Lex is going to be a bad sign for this mission."  
Ruby hung her head and sighed in frustration.  
Sometimes this guy was impossible.  
He sounded like a guy who…  
Her eyes went wide in realization. He sounded like a guy who didn't care to…live anymore. A guy who regretted of being born.  
It was in his tone.  
Guys like that turned out into bad guys. But from the time she had known him, which was for only two days now, the bounty hunter didn't seem like such a bad guy. He did help her with the Paradise user and his friends.  
Then suddenly, Ruby's eyes fell on the sword on his back. It was truly a magnificent sword. Japanese, or Oriental-made it seemed. It looked like that you needed to be hulk-like buffed and have the use of both hands to actually lift it.  
"Blade?" she began. "Your sword. Do you ever use it in fighting?" she curiously asked.  
That was when Blade fell into his silent state again.  
Ruby looked away and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business. I was just curious is all."  
But the bounty hunter suddenly spoke. "I was an Eco-Warrior. One of the very best."  
She looked back up at him surprised. She had heard of the Eco tribes. People who lived life in the wild as their ancestors once had. Robin Hood-like people without the whole thieving thing and they were clothes that could blend them into their surroundings.  
"I was not tribe material, but…it was a someone who made me stay." he admitted.  
Amber, Ruby thought, so they are old friends!  
"Then, I killed a man with this sword. Everyone found me to be dangerous, untrusting. So they cast me out."   
Ruby looked sympathetic at him. "I'm sorry." she had said again.  
"I don't need sympathy." he told her sternly. "I didn't even really care about them."  
Blade looked down at Ruby again, and this time she nearly did see his eyes under his hat's long brim.  
They were full of coldness. Dead as she had seen them. It looked like he didn't even blink.  
"I killed my emotions long ago to survive like others have, Ruby. One day, you might understand."  
With that, Blade walked away and headed for the sleeping quarters of the cruise ship.  
She watched him leave.  
A man full of hate and anger, and yet he didn't even show it.  
But was she not a warrior herself? Yes, she was. How else had she managed to keep her and her saloon alive?!  
When she first came to Liberty, it was completely corrupted. When she moved in and bought the old run down pub, fixing it up into her saloon, she had also helped make the town a nice place to live.  
But being a warrior didn't stop her from having feelings. It didn't stop her from searching for that special someone.  
Lex fell against the railing next to her, laughing his guts out.  
"Hey." he panted. "Why aren't you dancing?" he asked.  
"Cause nobody asked me." she gave him a stern look and tried to walk away.  
Lex suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor.   
She could've just pushed him off or punched him in the nose, but she didn't. Instead, she felt something surge within her the moment his hand touched hers.  
And from the look in his eyes, he felt the same way too.  
"No Lex. I'm not going to sleep with you." she gave him a look.  
"I just want to dance with you." he told her, returning the look.  
The fast-pace music ended and turned into something slower, something more romantic for the evening.  
Both Ruby and Lex looked away from each other, staring off at the crowd of boys and girls, some younger, some the same age, and some older than her and Lex, get close together as they danced to the rhythm.  
Lex finally looked to Ruby and held out his hand.  
"Dance with me?" he asked in a soft voice.  
Reluctantly, she fell under the spell of his eyes and sighed heavily as she put her arms around his neck.  
Lex got rather too close.  
"Keep your distance, pal." she warned.  
"What if I don't?" he gave her a challenging smile, not a grin but a smile.  
"Then I would do this." She pushed away from him and began to walk away. But again, Lex had grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him.  
She expected him to put his arms back around her. He did, but he put in something extra.  
And soon, Ruby found her lips pressed against Lex's in a passionate kiss that she had never seen coming.  
  
"Ooohhh. These are very nice controls. Everything is exactly perfect with the wiring."   
Blade had left the device with the strange voice to make sure the cruise ship got them to their destination.  
Quiet frankly, it was freaking out the crew members on board as they all huddled to one corner, looking around fearfully as if the place was haunted by ghosts.  
"Hmm. Tough crowd."   
  
The orange orb in the sky beamed down all light onto the earth. Part of it beaming onto the cruise ship, and directly in Lex's eyes.  
He adjusted himself on the bed.   
"What time is it?" she asked.  
Lex looked to the clock hanging up on the wall. "Seven o'clock in the morning."  
Ruby smiled rather sleepy, though it looked rather sweetly to him as he looked down at her head resting on his chest.  
"I thought you said you weren't gonna sleep with me." Lex grinned and raised an eyebrow.   
"Well," she sighed, "It was nice." She grabbed her shirt and tossed it on. She got up to grab her panties, her pants and her shoes.  
Lex just stared at her with a puzzled look. "Where are you going?" he asked.  
Ruby sighed as she finished getting dressed. "Lex," she turned back to him, "I had a great time. But come on, isn't that all it was. A great time?" she asked.  
Lex looked stunned.  
"You know, a one night stand?" Ruby gave him a look. "Come one, I know guys like you. You're not the type to be a one-woman girl…"  
"Well you certainly know crap!" he snapped as he got up and grabbed his pants.  
She was the one to look puzzled this time. "Um, am I missing something here?"  
Lex sharply pointed to her. "Let me tell you a story about my so-called life. I've been married twice. My first was a mistake, and she died with my unborn child. The second was the love of my life, but now she's gone somewhere else. And then, I had a girlfriend, who got jealous of my still caring for my second wife and left me in the cold."   
She stood speechless at him.   
"Yeah, I use to be like that when the virus struck, but I changed. And just so you know, last night to me was NOT a one night stand. I only have known you for now one day and night, but I like you. I like you a lot. But since it was just a one night stand, I guess it's no use talking about it, eh?"  
With that, he grabbed his shirt and stormed out of the room.  
"Lex…" Ruby called to him, but the door slammed closed.  
Great, Ruby put her head in her hands as she fell on the edge of the bed. Just great. 


	9. A New Face Or An Old Friend

Chapter 8  
A New Face Or An Old Friend   
  
The walk off the cruise ship had been pretty much in silence, and not just the bounty hunter, Cowboy Blade for a change. Ruby and Lex had been walking in total silence, and neither looked at each other.  
At least that's what it seemed like until Blade caught Lex out of the corner of his eye giving Ruby a longing look.  
He could tell something happened between them from their time on the cruise. He could smell Lex's scent on Ruby and Ruby's scent on Lex.  
It was not his place for human emotions. If someone had a problem of emotional feelings, then let them sort it out.   
They had spent an hour walking along the road through Los Angeles seeking out any transportation.  
Blade was even surprised that Lex and Ruby didn't lecture him again about not bringing his motorbike.  
Not much was different from back at New Zealand to Lex's and Ruby's surprise. Even in America there were tribes.  
Blade had already known of this as he had been to America before on countless jobs. The "Agent of Death" was truly a man-hunter. The warrior for hire.  
And everyone seemed to know who he was as all that him and his companions passed turned to look at him with expressions of both fear, anger, and excitement. Mostly fear from the looks of things.  
It wasn't until they headed down a short cut through an alley that Cowboy could already sense it.  
They were being followed.  
A soft sound of a footstep was enough to confirm this correct.  
He quickly spun into to block the end of a ironwood staff with his forearm.  
Their stalker was a woman about 5'5 with long dark hair and green eyes with purple streaks. She had on a short black tank top that was cut pretty low at the top and had only one strap, leg-fitting black jeans with holes in the knee sections, a short red form-fitting jacket, and black snickers.  
Her weapon, the ironwood staff that she had swung at blade was as long as her exceptional body.  
Somehow, she seemed very familiar to Blade but he just couldn't put his finger on it.  
The girl was a different story as her eyes went wide and she suddenly gasped and dropped her staff back at her side.  
"I…I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else." she apologized, her accent revealing that she wasn't from America. It was British.   
Blade only looked down at her. He hadn't heard her apology as he was trying hard to remember just who this girl was. She really looked damn familiar!  
Ruby and Lex walked next to Blade.  
"I'm very sorry." she apologized again.   
"Yeah, you should be sorry. You're lucky Mr. Cowboy Blade here hasn't chopped you into tiny pieces. Right, Blade?" Lex looked up and was surprised to see the concentrated look on the bounty hunter's face.  
The girl's apologetic expression changed to recognition. That was quiet impressive, Blade thought as he was amazed that a girl could look sorry at first then look strong in the next second.  
"Cowboy Blade…..yes, I've heard of you. The Agent of Death, the legendary bounty hunter, or man-hunter as your known." the beautiful girl smiled.  
"And you are?" Ruby asked suspiciously.  
"Oh, where are my manners." the girl looked sorry again. "My name is Sabe."  
Sabe…damn it! It was there but he still couldn't quiet put it down. He would have to think of it later.  
"Sabe. That's a pretty name." Ruby commented and held out her hand. "I'm Ruby, and that over there is Lex."   
Sabe noticed the blonde's change of expression when she said the rude brunette boy's name.  
Lex though changed his attitude, taking Sabe's hand and kissing the back of it.  
"A pleasure it is, milady." he said in a soft romancing womanizer voice.  
But Sabe wasn't buying it. She blushed with a sweet smile and put her hand back down at her side. This guy called Lex was already taken from what it seemed.  
The girl looked back up at Blade.  
"Do you know a Reaper?" she asked.  
Blade nodded his head. "Reaper is leader of the Bouncers. His bar is not too far from here."  
She nodded her head. "Well, if you don't mind. I could take you up there if you wish to see him."  
Blade thought for a moment.  
"Or do you already have plans?" she asked.  
Hmm, thinking about it more he did need to see Reaper about something.   
"Fine then." the bounty hunter said.  
"Okay. Just follow me please." With that, she lead the three down the streets.  
On their way to the bar, Sabe was walking right next to the bounty hunter. She looked up at his face, or what she could at least see with the cowboy hat blocking his eyes out. He did have a strong face.   
"So, you are the legendary Cowboy Blade, eh?" she asked. "I've heard about you. I'm originally from England, but I don't really have a home. I'm just a drifter myself. But even in England, we've heard much about you."  
Blade didn't even look at her.  
"Cowboy because you're a warrior for hire, and Blade because your deadly. Even more deadly with the sword."  
Blade looked down at her, and he found himself amused. That was new to find himself amused.  
He stared down at the girl from underneath the rims of his hat as if he was trying to see deep down in her soul.  
This girl had a lot of spirit in her. In fact, she was a free spirit type without a care in the world.  
He never met a person quiet like this. The people he met had to always look over their shoulder.   
And most of those people where his clients and the guys he was hired to hunt down.  
"Don't I fright you?" he asked.  
She looked confused. "No. Should I be afraid?"  
He looked up from her. "Most are. I've killed a few times, quicker than lightening. Some even call me the boogey man."  
He heard Sabe laughing at that.  
"That wasn't a joke." he growled annoyed.  
"I'm sorry. But it's just that…well," she pressed her finger against his arm, "You look human, and you feel human as well. You're real."  
….I'm…real?….  
"You are a strange one." Blade told her without looking at her.  
"Nope. I'm just me." She giggled. "Come on, lighten up, bounty hunter!"  
Before the bounty hunter could reply, they all found themselves at a pier on a beach.  
Lex looked to Sabe. "This Reaper owns a Caribbean bar?"  
The drifter nodded.   
"Cool!" Lex grinned as him and Ruby headed for the bar, that was until they stopped right in front of a large bulky guy dressed in leather yellow and black. Behind him were three more figures dressed in the same way, only not as tall and bulky.  
"Hey! You got some money?! I know you got some!" the bulky guy pointed out.  
"Yeah, so what if I do, King Kong?" Lex smirked and tried to walk by the bulky figure.  
The Kong-like boy stopped him dead in his tracks. "Hand over your money!"  
Lex noticed another tall but much more well built young guy behind the Kong-like boy looked much like the guy with the large spider tattoo who Lex had beaten in Ram's VR games.  
Weird, he thought. But he turned back to the Kong-like man.  
"First of all, it's called Credits where I'm from. Second, why the hell should I give you anything at all?" Lex sneered at Kong-like boy.  
"Hey! You got any idea who your talking to, Aussie boy?!" the Kong-like thug pushed Lex.  
"I'm looking at road kill if you don't leave him alone." Ruby jumped in.  
The Kong-like thug snarled. "All right. I'll tell you who we are. We're the Demolition Pirates!"  
Some tribes just have the weirdest names, Lex thought.  
"And I am the strongest member of the Demolition Pirates! So, I'm telling you to hand over your credits, or else you'll get a beating!" The kong-like thug slammed his fist into his hand.  
"Hey," the bald pirate spoke up, "maybe we could take the two nice young ladies as well."  
"Oh yeah, that's a good idea." The Kong-like thug turned back to Lex. "So, hand over your women and all your credits! Right now!" he stomped.  
"Sad."   
All looked up at the bounty hunter.  
"Hey! What'd you call me?!" the Kong-like thug growled.  
Blade looked up slowly as he moved to the side from Sabe.  
"You call yourselves strong. All I've heard is nothing but threats and no action."  
Ruby and Lex were definitely not use to hearing the bounty hunter talk, and now that he was they didn't really think it was a good idea to be talking at all.  
The Kong-like thug snarled like a dog and stomped his way up to Blade.  
He flexed his muscles to show just what the bounty hunter was up against.  
And Blade was not worried one bit. He was never worried.  
The Kong-like thug threw a hard fist, and it was closing in fast.  
Just inches away from his face. Two more seconds…THERE!!  
The Kong-like thug's fist only hit air as the thug himself fell forward right off the pier, and onto the sandy surface of the beach with a loud thud.  
He was unconscious.  
The pirates all looked shocked as they saw their mighty leader fall to the cunning of the wolf.  
And boy was that a fall!  
"Hey!" the pirate who spoke second after his leader. "Just who the heck do you think you are?! Thinking you can treat us like this?!"  
The bounty hunter turned to the Demolition Pirates as they were called.  
"Blade." he said.  
All their eyes went wide.  
"Blade?! THE AGENT OF DEATH, MAN-HUNTER COWBOY BLADE?!" one shrieked.  
"Our lucky day!" the bald pirate laughed. "You may have beat our boss, but you can't take us all on!"  
With that, the pirates grabbed baseball bats from behind and charged the bounty hunter.  
This time, Blade grabbed not his crossbow gun, but a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun from the holster on his belt. Noticing the old wood of the dock, the shotgun was fired, and the whole gang of the Demolition Pirates fell to the beach with their leader.  
"They'll live." Blade commented and walked on. "Watch your step."  
Sabe, Ruby, and Lex jumped over the hole of the docks, and followed Blade to the Caribbean bar.  
  
He had watched the whole so-called fight from a distance with his dark painted lips into a twisted smile.  
Indeed, the bounty hunter was good. It was no wonder how he defeated the best assassin in the city.  
He noticed the raven haired girl with the short red jacket and the ironwood staff. So, the man-hunter has a new love interest.  
This was getting better by the minute.  
Oh, just how fun it would be to end the life of his rival. And this time, Over the Edge would not be so easy to defeat.   
Patients though. Cowboy Blade would have to wait. The assassin wanted to know a little bit more of this new girl.  
  
She hugged her knees to her chest as the tears went flowing down her face.  
She couldn't sleep. She could barely eat. She felt trap again.  
Just being around him reminded her of the closet, or as Zoot called it Room 101.  
Many people made her fell like that. Even Spike who was an airhead at times.  
Locked up in a prison.  
The only people who made her feel so free were Jay, and it was hard to believe it, but Trudy as well.  
She and Trudy had become quiet close. Trudy had comforted her when Ebony thought she was going crazy from all her Zoot sightings.  
Jay…she missed him.  
Here was a man she loved so much, and she gave him up for power and chaos?!  
Something she would do. Her old self that is.  
But she had changed. She didn't want to believe she was getting soft, but she was.  
And now, she was beginning to realize that this…all of this….was just plain crazy. And plain stupid.  
Ebony was a warrior queen. Not even Siva and Java could beat her when the teamed up on her together. Yes, Java did defeat her in the battle to be general of the Zootists. But her heart was not in it.  
No, stop crying you little witch, she thought to herself.   
Stop crying, dry your eyes, and get the hell up!  
I am Ebony…I am not queen of the Locos…I am not Zoot's woman…I am Queen of the Warriors!  
She stood up and dried her eyes.  
There was still time…  
"I'm getting the hell out of here." 


	10. Getting the Rides

Chapter 9  
  
Getting the Rides  
  
You know the trouble when hiring someone and make an appointment, telling them don't be late? You expect them to not be late as they're told. It just never seems to work when hiring assassins to do your dirty work. At least that was what went through Zoot's mind as he paced impatiently. This journey was proving to be more challenging for him to achieve his goal as the dictator not just of the city again back home, but of the world. Power and chaos would rule all, with the help of this Ragnarok weapon of course. The strange thing is that he didn't even know what this weapon looked like. He wasn't able to retrieve the code from Ram to unlock all information on this weapon, thanks to Edge for that. He just knew that it was somewhere in Death Valley. But where would Pandorax keep such a weapon in Death Valley. In Death Valley, there was nothing but a desert. That's why they called it Death Valley! Zoot kicked over his chair in the apartment room. Just thinking about this whole arrangement would get to him. If he knew one thing, it was that he was revived for something. To do probably what he was good at. Striking fear into the hearts of other, to conquer all enemies who would stand in his way, and rule with none other than…power and chaos. "Power and chaos." he chanted. "Power corrupts, and chaos is already. Though many are still blind to see it." came a voice in the room. Zoot looked all around him. "Where are you?" he demanded. "It's my job to vanish from sight when I want from the eyes of the beholder." the voice spoke again. "I understand you are having some problems." Zoot rolled his deranged eyes. Some people could say the stupidest… "Of course. Why else…WOULD I HAVE HIRED YOU?!" Zoot shouted. Someone banged against the wall next door and shouted, "Hey, Keep it down in there! We're busy in here!" Zoot rolled his eyes again and sighed. Someone needed to learn a lesson. He turned, and nearly jumped right out of his pants when a dark-brown cloaked figure was staring back at him. His entire body was hidden by the brown cloak, and his upper head hidden by a leather brown hat. Between the cloak and the hat was a circle of darkness where his eyes should be. "Now I know why they call you…" Zoot began until he was cut off by the figure. "What is it you need me to do?" he asked impatiently. Zoot nodded his head and crossed his arms to regain his cool. It was very unlike him to show any sign of fear in those he was face to face with. But something in this character really was bizarre. "I'm on my way to discovering something…glorious. But the problem is a bounty hunter with a number on my head. They call him…Blade, I believe." Zoot tried to think of the warrior's name. "Blade?!" the figure sounded surprised. "As in Cowboy Blade. Yes, I have heard of him." Zoot raised an eyebrow. "Is that a bit of fear I sense in your voice? If you can't handle this job, then I will be glad and find…" "No!" the figure nearly shouted. "Cowboy Blade. He is said to be one of the very best swordsmen to ever walk the earth. To face him in combat will truly be a most honorable pleasure." "To kill him will be even better." Zoot grinned. Underneath the cover up, the figure grinned. "Yes. It could put a few more points on my own reputation. Not that it would need it." Zoot just stared at the brown cloaked figure. "You may not have heard of me from where you are from, but around these parts from here to Japan, I am known as the most deadliest assassin and greatest swordsman…." "I don't want it in words." Zoot got right into where the figure's face was originally suppose to be. And this time, it was Zoot's expression that was beginning to freak out the cloaked figure for a second. "I want it…in blood. HIS blood." Zoot hissed. The tyrant lord himself walked right pass the cloaked figure, and as he walked out of the apartment, the cloaked figure heard a door bust open next door. Next he heard a girl screaming and a angry man cursing, then came an agonizing cry of pain from the guy and footsteps walking out of the apartment. The girl was still screaming. Perhaps this Zoot was not to be over underestimated.  
  
A dark skinned boy, lightly masculine, walked over to the table occupied by Ruby, Lex, the bounty hunter and now Sabe. "Good to see ya again, Blade." he spoke with a Jamaican accent. Blade nodded to the one called Reaper. Lex was rather disappointed to see that such a wimpy looking guy was leader of the Bouncers, a tribe of tough guys. He could probably even take this guy out without raising a finger. But something in him told him to shut up. And it sounded a lot like Ruby's voice. "Sabe told me you were here. Didn't believe it at first." Reaper told the bounty hunter. "Sorry about her attacking you. She just made da mistake dat you were anoter dude." Blade no reply. And got back down to business. "We need transportation." Blade spoke. Reaper chuckled. Leave it to the man-hunter himself to get right down to the point of the matter. "Haven't changed a bit." he said looking at Sabe who giggled. "This is no time for jokes, Reaper." Blade looked hard at the Bouncer leader. "Hey," Sabe looked to Blade, "he was just joking. Lighten up." Blade turned sharply at her. "Perhaps you weren't listening on our way here, but there is a very dangerous man who could get a weapon capable of mass destruction." He looked back to Reaper. "Plus the Rats of the Phoenix Mall have hired me to take him out, so right now time is money." Sabe was about to speak, but Reaper held up his hand. "It be OK, Sista Sabe. He was like dis before." Sabe gave the bounty hunter a sharp glare, but leaned back into her seat and sighed. "Come in da back wit me. I've got just de tang for ya." Reaper pointed to the back of the bar. Blade followed the Bouncer leader, but not before taking a quick glance at the drifter girl. What is the deal with her? As they got to the back, Blade was the least surprised to see a Ninja motorbike and a truck. "Me boys found da truck on da side of da road one day. We fixed it up, put some more horse power inside and now it runs fast like a cheetah and smooth like da ocean. As for da Ninja bike. It's an ZX-9R model. One of da very bests." Reaper looked up to Blade. "You should know, since it was yours." The bounty hunter nodded. "I see you fixed up the dent marks." Reaper laughed. "I was surprised that it got more battered and bruised dan you." Blade ran his gloved hand along the seat of the Ninja motorbike. "It's been a long time." he sighed. Reaper looked surprised. If he heard right, he actually heard the bounty hunter sigh. Cowboy Blade never sighed before, let alone talk much. Perhaps he was changing. Reaper than saw the sword hanging from Blade's back. "15th century made." Reaper quoted the sword. "English. Looks too much like the sword of a devil that it still scares the crap out of me!" Blade turned and looked back to Reaper. "It's funny dat I've never seen you use it in fighting." Reaper remembered the battles him and the bounty hunter had engaged in on Cowboy Blade's time here. He always either used a crossbow gun, a sawed off shotgun, or his body as a weapon. But never did he use that sword. "What a waste." Reaper sighed. Blade turned back to the motorbike. "If you knew what I knew, would you use this sword?" Blade asked him. "To be honest. Yes. But I would never be good as you wit it." Reaper said truthfully. "Even if you took the life of a good man?" Blade looked back to the Bouncer leader. Reaper nodded his head with a sympathetic look on his face. "To protect the people I love, I would." Blade started to turn back around to the motorbike, until he caught glimpse of Sabe sitting in between Lex and Ruby and talking with the two. One had to admit that she really was pretty, and that she had a beautiful breathtaking smile. Reaper seemed to notice the bounty hunter's gaze, and grinned to himself. So da beast gots a heart, he thought. "How long has that girl been staying with you?" Blade nodded his head to Sabe. "Just for a few days. She's a drifter, but I take it she's already told you dat. She's one heck of a singer, a dancer at that too." One of the Bouncer's head popped out to the side. "Yo Reaper man, we need you over here for a sec." "Sure man, I be dare." Reaper looked to Blade. "Be right back." The leader of the Bouncer's headed back into the bar. The bounty hunter was left to think of what Reaper had told him. "To protect the people I love." he repeated. But I have no one to love, he thought. I love nothing, therefore I have nothing to lose.   
  
I'm not afraid to die, because I have nothing to lose.  
  
Blade looked around to see if anyone was watching, then backed away until he was in a clear area. Slowly, his gloved hand grasped the hilt of his sword, and slowly unsheathed it from its harness. For the first time in so long that he couldn't remember just how long, he began to practice with his sword. The fluid movements of his body were perfection as was his style of the sword. He was stretching his body out with Tai-Chi. The warrior leaped into the air, spinning his sword over his head a couple of times, then thrust forward as he landed back on his feet with his knees bent. He did a couple more swings and thrusts with expert timing and perfect motions. His techniques were combined of English and European swordsmanship to the art of the Samurai and a Chinese warrior.  
  
Blade grasped the sword around its hilt upside down so that the blade was arced across his back from behind, and then heard hands clapping in applaud. He was very surprised to see the drifter standing beside the back of the bar, watching him. From the look on her face, she was amazed by the demonstration of such techniques and skill. "Wow." she gasped. Blade let out a low growl that went unheard and sheathed his sword back in its harness. "You know how to fight." she asked grinned. "From those moves, it looks like you know a bit of Kung-Fu as well. Tell me, what styles of Martial Arts do you master in?" While adjusting his jacket, Cowboy Blade faced back to the girl.  
  
"All of them." he answered.  
  
Her mouth dropped. She'd expected him to know at least some Karate and Kung-Fu along with sword-fighting, but ALL of the styles?! "I'm coming with you by the way." she said with a small smile, shaking out of her daze. That made him stop dead in his tracks. "There's no way." he told her. "Afraid there is." Her smile was becoming wider by the minute. Blade looked over to her over his shoulder. "You'll be risking your life." "Life is full of risks. You can't go by the book all the time." she replied. The bounty hunter rolled his eyes. This girl was becoming a thorn in the side for him! Still though, you have to admire her courage. The question is though why would a beautiful young drifter who somehow seemed to be a familiar figure from his past want to come on a man-hunt for Zoot? ….So be it. "Don't whine when danger comes." he told her. "I've seen danger lots of times." she retorted. He smirked. "Not like this." "It is ok to be afraid you know. But I'm not backing down." she called to him as he walked away.   
  
I have a feeling it's not part of your program, Cowboy Blade thought as he continued on. 


	11. Highway Battle

Chapter 10  
Highway Battle  
  
The cool breeze felt good. Lex was the driver of the truck with Ruby and Sabe sitting next to him.  
Ruby had her arms crossed and was scooted far as possible from Lex.  
Their argument from that night on the cruise ship was still heeding over them.  
Well, it was about time that stopped. At least from Sabe's point of view. She may not have known what happened between these two, but hating forever was just part of her dislikes.  
There was one way to bring it up. A way she liked rather more for herself.  
Sabe looked back in her seat, staring out at the dark figure riding the Ninja motorbike behind them.  
Blade.   
She hadn't known for more than just nine hours now.   
Still there was something about the bounty hunter. From what she heard from Reaper and his Bouncers, Cowboy Blade was a warrior without a soul. They say that because he moved as if he had no soul.  
But he was human. Every human had a soul.  
A thought then crept into her mind as she began putting the puzzle of him together.  
Cold, strong, acts out instead of speaks and speaks only when believes words are needed.  
He reminded her of Ash. Her childhood friend. The boy next door who she had fallen in love with.  
…Her eyes went wide when another thought hit her like a brick.  
Thinking about it more, she did manage to see he had blue eyes underneath the brim of his hat.  
His hair was the same, though he was a bit taller.   
There was no doubt now in her mind.  
"It is him." she gasped.  
Ruby looked over to the drifter. "What?"  
Sabe shook her head quickly. "Nothing. I was just…thinking about someone."  
Lex smirked. "Glad to see someone's not so selfish."  
"Oh you should talk!" Ruby snapped at him.  
"Hey! I'm the one in pain here! Not you!" Lex pointed out. "You hurt me. You actually believed that everything was all a lie to get you in bed, but in fact you were just looking for a good time."  
Ruby fell silent.  
"Am I right?" he asked. "Well am I?!"  
At last, Ruby looked to Lex, and he to Ruby.  
"No, you're wrong Lex. " she replied. "I had feelings for you as well, but I was afraid that you would wake up and scratch a name off your list."  
Lex looked shocked.   
After all this time that he was thinking that Ruby was nothing but a tough little bitch like Ebony, only not scheming, he now knew he was all wrong about her. And did it ever eat at his heart.  
Sabe watched on with the two as neither were speaking again.  
Perhaps when they stopped again, she would talk to them. They were starting to become her friends, and she couldn't stand by and let her friends hurt.  
She sighed and looked back to the bounty hunter. And her eyes went wide when she noticed some tiny tots coming up from behind Blade.  
"I think we've got company." she said, pointing out in back.  
Lex looked in the rear view mirror as Ruby turned in her seat to look out back with Sabe.  
Moments later, they saw the same guys dressed up in yellow and black leather clothes.  
There were even more of them then the last time.  
"Huh. So I guess those Demo Pirates or whatever are tougher than I thought." Lex smirked.  
  
Even through the roaring of his motorbike's engine, he could hear them coming from behind.  
The Demolition Pirates were back for vengeance.  
Two pirates swooped pass Blade with baseball bats and chains in their hands.  
They started beating on the truck.  
So they attack the others to get to me, Blade thought.  
That was a big mistake.  
"Game time." he whispered to himself.  
Charging up for speed, Blade caught up to the pirate carrying the bat.  
The pirate took a swing at the warrior, a swing that Blade quickly ducked.  
The pirate swung again, this time Blade grabbed the bat and quickly kicked the pirate's motorbike against the side.  
The pirate lost grip of his bat and control of his motorbike as he skid to the side of the road and leaped right off his ride when his motorbike began to flip.  
The pirate with the chains sped up close to Blade, spinning the chains over his head.  
He got in close and slammed the chains into Blade's shoulder.  
Blade didn't even wince   
The pirate threw the chains again, and this time Blade caught the chains with the bat from the other pirate.  
While trying to keep his eyes on the road and on the bounty hunter at the same time, it was just far too impossible for the inexperienced.  
Giving a hard tug on the chain, the chain returned to the pirate, bring the bat smashing into his face along with it.  
The pirate fell on the road with his motorbike skidding across the road.  
The next pirate accidentally ran right over his comrade's shoulder.  
"Oh jeez!" the pirate cried. But the pirates didn't even care about their fallen it seemed.  
So be it, Blade thought.  
Blade looked across to his companions watching frantically in the truck.  
"Keep driving!" he shouted, and slowed his motorbike to catch up with the pirates.  
"Blade, Be careful!" Sabe shouted to him.  
She thought it went unheard. But it didn't.  
Why should she care, he thought. She hadn't known him for too…AGH!!  
Blade felt a metal pole slam against his arm in the same spot the chains had hit.  
The pirate raised his pole high over his head, and Blade jabbed him hard even with his helmet on.  
The biker flew straight off his motorbike which kept on going.  
Three down, three more to go.  
Actually, all together it was five more to go with two pirates on each two motorbikes, and the Kong-like thug on the third one.  
"We're gonna smash your face in, freak!" the Kong-like thug growled.  
Blade saw the truck was now out of sight. He would catch up to them later.  
He turned his attention to the closest motorbike of pirates.  
And there just happened to be another biker of two pirates next to them. They were trying to angle themselves.  
Perfect, he thought.  
He reached into his leather raincoat and pulled out the sawed off shotgun, aiming it at the bike's engine.  
"NO!!" the driver of the motorbike screamed, and lost control as he swirled right into the motorbike next to him.  
The bikes clashed, and suddenly exploded after the fire of a gunshot, leaving all four pirates in the air and crashing against both the road and the side.  
"One more."   
Blade gained up speed in the motorbike, driving far a distance from the pirate leader.  
Then, he swirled around in a stop with looking down the street to the Kong-like thug who stopped as well.  
He twisted the handle of his Ninja motorbike, zooming up the engine.  
The Kong-like thug couldn't see it in his eyes. But he knew just what the bounty hunter had planned.  
"Yeah! You're toast, Jesse James!" the Kong-like thug laughed.  
Blade's lips curled into a disgusted scowl.  
Jesse James?! Of all the people…!  
At that, both riders charged straight dead ahead for each other.  
He's so stupid it's unbelievable, the Kong-like thug thought, waiting for Blade to quickly move to the side.  
But the bounty hunter kept on going straight.  
The pirate leader felt a little sweat on his forehead. Either it was from the sun, or his nerves were getting to him.  
"Come on. Turn!" he hissed.  
But the warrior still made no turn.  
As he was getting closer, the Kong-like thug could see now that a smile was planted on the bounty hunter's face.  
His eyes went wide in horror.  
"Oh sh…!"  
The pirate leader quickly turned to the side quickly. Too quickly as he hit a ditch, and just by hitting a ditch that his motorbike lost balance and he was thrown from his transport.  
Blade came to another stop, looking over to the Kong-like thug's form.  
The pirate leader started getting up, but fell down again.  
Nobody else was coming. The highway battle was over.  
"And it was just getting good." Blade smirked, and rode off to catch up with the others.  
  
"Stop here!" Sabe pointed out to a gas station.  
"You heard what Blade said. We have to keep going." Lex told her.  
"Don't worry. We'll be safe there. We can wait for him there."  
Ruby looked to Lex. "We DO need some food and water. We're almost out."  
Lex sighed defeated, and parked towards the gas station.  
Ruby and Lex walked into the store to find some items, while Sabe glued herself to the street.  
She was waiting for him. She had been for so long.  
"Come on, Ash." she said to herself. "A few bullies couldn't stop you from before."  
So far nothing.  
"It's no use waiting out there in the heat, Sabe! At least we can hide in here…"  
Sabe turned sharply at Lex.  
"Uh…you know, just in case." he concluded.  
Sabe turned back to the road.  
Watching the drifter for awhile, Ruby handed her items to Lex and walked out to join the drifter.  
"Hey." she smiled.  
Sabe barely replied.   
Ruby sighed and crossed her arms. "Sabe, you've only known us all for a couple of hours. Either me or Lex is suppose to be the one shaking in our boots and waiting anxiously for him to return."  
Sabe looked to her friend. "You are."  
Ruby's friendly smile returned. "Yeah, I guess I am."   
"He sure has a way on you, doesn't he?" the saloon owner laughed.  
The drifter's eyes fell to the ground. "Blade. He…reminds me of someone. An old friend."  
"Oooh. Boyfriend?" Ruby asked interested.  
Sabe thought for a moment.  
"Sort of." She looked up at Sabe.   
"But did you love this friend?"  
"A little interested in other people's business, are we Miss Ruby?" Sabe smiled with a raised eyebrow.  
"Just starting up some more conversation." she said.  
Sabe nodded her head.  
"Hey! Our golden boy's back!" Lex shouted as he pointed out to the road.  
Coming up fast was Cowboy Blade on his Ninja Motorbike. 


	12. Looking To The Stars

Chapter 11  
Looking To The Stars  
  
The day was a few minutes away from becoming night. They all decided to stay in the gas station.  
Lex had found some sleeping bags in a storage room, but the bounty hunter refused to sleep.  
Instead, he stood up by the door, securing the safety of his companions.  
That's what Sabe was thinking anyway as she looked up to him.  
Lex and Ruby were sound asleep, and the drifter was surprised to see they were laying next to each other.  
As she looked back up at Blade, the moonlight illuminated his face and she could almost see his eyes more clearer.  
She had then seen the coldness inside them. It could only be a reflection of what was in his heart. If he even considered himself to have a heart.  
Sabe tossed the blanket off her and walked up behind the bounty hunter.  
She was about to touch his shoulder, until…  
"Even when you don't make noise, I can still sense you are there." he said.  
Sabe looked up surprised as the bounty hunter turned around to face her.  
"Everything is secure. You can go back to sleep, Miss Sabe."   
She raised an eyebrow. "Say. What's up with the formalities now?"  
"I've only known you for nearly a day and night, Miss Sabe." he reminded her.  
"Well then, lets change that." she smiled. "First off, it's Sabe and JUST Sabe."  
He only looked down at her.  
"So, why aren't you asleep?" she asked.  
"I can go without sleep for a month, M…Sabe." he corrected himself.   
This time, she kept her eyes glued at his face. Gazing admiringly at him. It never bothered him before, but now the bounty hunter found himself a little fidgeted by her gazing.  
"Someone needs to stay on guard." he told her. He heard a loud noise of snoring and turned to see it coming from Lex. "And I wouldn't count Lex to be up for it."  
She softly giggled at that.  
Then paused as she realized he just…no, he couldn't have.  
"Oh my….Blade? Did you just make a joke?" she looked surprised.  
The bounty hunter looked to her awkwardly, but then as he thought about it more.   
"I…guess I did." Blade looked back to Sabe. "But then again I was telling the truth. Lex is not the type to be staying up all night."  
"You always stood up late at night." she suddenly spoke out.  
Blade turned to her confused.  
"….Sorry." she sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest with her eyes gazing down at her feet.  
At least to her, it looked like a confused look. But in the mind of the man-hunter, he was thinking, "Does she know it's me?!"  
A light in the sky caught Sabe's attention. When she looked up, the light was moving fast like a rocket through the sky.   
"Oh Blade, look! A shooting star!" she pointed to the star-filled sky.  
Blade looked up following the drifter's finger. A shooting star….he grunted. He never did see much of those. Actually, he had never even bothered too.  
But when she pointed it out to him, he found himself interested. Why though? Was it because he was sharing this moment with an old friend. An old friend that he…  
No…got to get over that, Ash! Remember what happened long ago…  
I just…called myself by my real name, he realized.  
"So, did you make a wish?" Sabe asked him.  
Blade looked to her with a puzzled expression. "What?"  
"The shooting star. You know, you see one and you make a wish?" she raised her eyebrows.  
Blade shook his head. "Superstition." he scoffed.  
"Hey, sometimes they can come true." she pointed out.  
"Do they ever come true for you?" Blade suddenly asked her.  
She was taken back by the question. He made it sound so cold, maybe meant to be an insult.  
She looked away from him. She was hurt, and this was her own friend making her feel this way for the first time ever.  
No, this couldn't be Ash. Ash would never say such things. Actually, Ash would hardly talk at all.  
"Well, do they?" he asked in a more pleasant tone.  
So maybe it wasn't an insult, she thought.  
"To be honest with you, I've never really wished for anything. Because…I have everything that I've always wanted right here. Except, there is just one thing I've been wishing for….since the virus." She admitted, still not looking at him though.  
"Many people have wished for a lot of things when the virus struck, Sabe. To be safe, or wish their family back. But Fate cannot be bent." he explained. "Just like time. All that's left now in this world is getting by and surviving."  
Sabe turned back to him. And started searching his face. She was looking for any sign of emotion. Rather he was angry, happy or sad.  
Neither showed.  
"Well, I can see how you get by in this world." she remarked. "Carrying about no one else but yourself. But that's not true, is it?"  
He fell silent.  
"Well is it?!' she nearly shouted.  
The bounty hunter looked down at the drifter. "I once told this to Ruby, Sabe. There are people like me you have buried their emotions to survive and get by in this world. This…tribe world. You like others will one day understand."  
"Yeah, I understand all right." she snapped. "I understand that you're no better than Zoot."  
Now this time, he felt nearly taken back. She had contrasted him with Zoot, and nobody had ever done that to him.  
"But I do know one thing. Like Zoot, you can change. It's your life. Nobody else's but yours."  
He didn't speak again. Not that he was going back into his silent state. He was just…baffled, speechless by her words.  
And then a short but warm sensation touched his cheek.  
"Good night." she whispered and headed back for her sleeping bag.  
He touched where her lips met his cheek.  
This girl was definitely not like others.  
  
The Kong-like thug fell back against the wall. Blood dripping from both his mouth and nose.  
The rest of the injured Demolition Pirates watched in fear as their own leader was manhandled by yet another guy. And this guy was definitely a clown from Hell. Or a mime from Hell for that matter with the black and white paint.  
Edge smirked with his hands in his pants pockets and the long double-bladed boomerang hanging in the gun holster at the side of his belt.  
"That wasn't a very proper, and very appropriate answer, my friend."   
Edge walked up to the Kong-like thug that did tower over the assassin, but he seemed to be no mere match.  
The assassin brought his foot up hard to the Kong-like thug's neck, threatening to crush his air tube with the heel of his boot.  
"Now, unless you want to die. I suggest you give me a very truthful answer. So, I will ask you one last time." Edge brought the pressure of his boot to more strength. "A guy wearing a long-brimmed cowboy hat and a sword on his back came here to California not too long ago. He bumped into you, so where did he go?"  
The Kong-like thug tried to breath. "You'll…have to be more…precise!" he wheezed. "There's other guys with cowboy hats and swords, you know!"  
The corner of Over the Edge's mouth curved up in a lopsided grin. "Ah yes. Demon Dog Hunter Tiger and the great Shadow Warrior Hood. I guess the one I'm looking is the third in this little tribe world warrior fashion."  
Edge sneered down at the Kong-like thug. "His name was Blade. Cowboy Blade. The guy that ran into you by the piers up to that Caribbean bar."  
"O-oh yeah!…Him!" the thug choked. "All I know…is…is that him and some others were heading up to Nevada. That's all I know! Please…!"  
Edge grinned with his boot still on the Kong-like thug's neck. "Thank you."  
The assassin moved away, allowing the pirate leader to breath.   
When the Kong-like thug looked up to the being threatening his life, Edge was already out the door of the tavern. 


	13. Old Habits Die Hard

Chapter 12  
Old Habits Die Hard  
  
So here it is at last.  
Zoot crossed his arms proudly across his chest.   
He had found it. The secret entrance to the secret base Pandorax had built to keep hidden Ragnarok.  
"Open it." he ordered one of his look-alike warriors.  
The warrior girl obeyed her master and opened the secret door.   
He had to admit that it was tough finding the secret door in this hotter than hell desert. It was no wonder they called this place Death Valley.  
In the door was a stairway into darkness.  
"Prepare the torches. We're going in now."  
With that said, Zoot stepped down the steps. He paused for a moment as he was elbow-level with the hole of the secret door.  
He looked to the side. "Remember. Kill him and you get your reward. I want his head as proof."  
The figure nodded.  
Zoot headed down with his followers, the Zootists, behind him.  
  
Death Valley, Nevada. They had finally made it.  
Blade stopped his motorbike as he looked to the sign that said Death Valley.  
"So, our little adventure is coming to an end." Lex sighed as he stopped the truck with Sabe and Ruby inside.  
Blade turned to the deputy. "You seem nervous."  
Lex shrugged his shoulders. "In a way, I did kill Zoot. Then again, I'm just curious to see if this is really Zoot we're after, or is it just another fake like the Chosen made up."  
Blade looked on ahead.  
"I'll known soon enough." he replied.  
Everyone looked to the bounty hunter.  
"You? Don't you mean we?" Ruby corrected.  
The "Agent of Death" shook his head. "You've been through a lot. I know you fear Zoot. So you don't have to travel with me."  
"Whoa!" Lex smirked. "Who are you and what have you done with Cowboy Blade?"  
The bounty hunter glared at Lex.  
"I'm serious! I mean, the Blade I know would never say a think like that. It's almost as if you…care."  
Blade's sneer turned into a scowl that would make a snake hide in its hole for a year.  
"I just want you out of the way. Your tribe hired me to take on Zoot, so my payment is on the line here."  
All eyes went to Sabe when the heard the drifter scoff. "Yes, of course."  
She glared at the bounty hunter. "Wouldn't want you to lose your precious reward now, would we?"  
Sometimes this girl could be a real case! What did she want from him?!   
Cowboy Blade was a bounty hunter, he hunted people down dead or alive for their bounties. If he was desperate, he would do more like mercenary! That's what he does. No more and no less.  
"Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?!" Sabe asked. "Do you even care that maybe if they get a hold of this Ragnarok, many lives will die?! Including the Mallrats?! Are you willing to bring them to harm for your own selfish need?"  
For the first time ever, Blade showed emotion. He was surprised by the drifter's outburst.  
He looked away from the truck and down at the handle bars of the motorbike.  
"Maybe you don't care, Blade. But I do. And so does Ruby and Lex. So we're not doing this for you, but we are doing this for our friends and others." Sabe admitted.  
Lex and Ruby looked at each other.  
Both knew that the drifter did have a point.  
They were not doing this for the bounty hunter, but rather for themselves and their loved ones.  
Lex had already lost Zandra and Tai-San. He couldn't stand to lose anymore of his friends or….Ruby for that matter.  
And if anything were to happen to Slade and Ram, Ruby would….  
The engine of the motorbike going off gained their attention as they saw Cowboy Blade head out.  
Lex followed after him in the truck, determined with Ruby and Sabe more than ever.  
But as he drove, a question entered his mind.  
He was doing this for Ruby and the Mallrats, Ruby was doing this for Slade and Ram and the town of Liberty, but who was Sabe doing this for and why?  
….and the answer was right in plain sight ahead of them.  
  
Blade swerved the motorbike to a stop when he saw a brown cloaked figure blocking his way.  
Then he saw the opened secret door.  
So Zoot had made it first.  
The truck came to a halt right next to Blade as the bounty hunter stepped off the motorbike.  
The dark hole in the brown cloak faced Cowboy Blade.  
"So you have come seeking out Zoot have you? I am most surprised that you and your friends have managed to survive in this desolate plain, Cowboy Blade." the figure spoke.  
Blade raised his head a bit that the shadow mask caused by his hat's rims nearly lifted over his eyes.  
"You seem to know who I am." the bounty hunter spoke.  
"On the contrary, I know much about those I am hired to kill. You are Cowboy Blade, honored with titles such as "Agent of Death," man-hunter, or how bout the Invincible Swordsman."  
His gloved hands clenched tightly into fists that blood nearly drew out of his skin under the leather fabric.  
"But that third name you haven't gone by in a long time. And I know why."   
Blade sneered. "How do you know?" he asked darkly.  
"It doesn't really matter. Since now you are going to suffer a long, slow and painful horrible death. So, if you…don't mind."  
The figure pushed the side of his cloak back, revealing a long and thin wooden stick. Only when the figure put his hand around the top, it was actually a Samurai sword as he unsheathed a stainless thin steel blade.  
The sunlight reflected off the Samurai sword as both two adversaries stood apart, glaring to one another with unblinking eyes.  
His companions waited in the truck, waiting to see the outcome.  
Just be careful, Blade. That's all I'm asking, Sabe thought to herself.  
Her concern for the bounty hunter even showed in her eyes, and Lex saw this right away.  
  
Blade reached for the shotgun underneath his raincoat, Before it could aim in the air, the figure was already before him and slashed the gun out of his gloved hand.  
He slashed again this time at Blade's neck, but the bounty hunter was fast enough to dodge back.  
But his opponent was proving to be more quicker as he lunged more slashes at Blade's body.  
The blade did come in contact with his left cheek, then his shoulder, then his chest and last his knee.  
Blade jumped back, and blood dripped down from his small cuts.  
"I once heard of a warrior called the Phantom Samurai who could move like a shadow and deliver the deathblow to one person so quick that they would never expect it for awhile. It seems I have met him." Blade smirked.  
Phantom Samurai chuckled and took a bow. "Indeed that is who I am. But you have left one thing out."  
The assassin raised his sword over his head.  
"I'm also the one to end your miserable life!"  
The Samurai sword which would have sliced the bounty hunter right in half only cut through the desert ground.  
"Eh?" Phantom Samurai looked surprise for a moment, then chuckled lightly as he stood back up.  
"I must say. You're better than I thought you would be."   
Blade looked over his shoulder with his back turned to Phantom Samurai's.  
"But at this point, you should know by now that you can't strike me with your fists and your kicks. Maybe…"  
The corner of the phantom's eye looked to the sword hanging in its harness on Blade's back.  
The bounty hunter knew what Phantom Samurai had in mine, and he could forget it.  
True, he couldn't use his hand-to-hand combat skills in this type of fighting. Phantom was far too fast with that sword, and Blade would be a new organ doner.  
  
"Come on, dammit! Use your sword!" Lex hissed. "He's gonna get meated if he doesn't use his sword!"  
"There's nothing we can do about it, Lex. If he refuses to use his sword, he refuses. It's his choice alone." Ruby said.   
"But unless he does something, he's gonna die! And we could be next! Do you know what that means, Ruby?!" Lex shouted. "It means Zoot's going to win! That we've traveled all the way for nothing!"  
"Lex…"  
Both Ruby and Lex turned to Sabe.  
"He refuses to his sword…because of something horrible he committed in his past with that sword."   
"How do you know, Sabe?" Lex asked.  
The drifter continued staring at the struggling bounty hunter dodging each slash that Phantom Samurai had made with his sword.  
"I could see it in his eyes. I could hear it in his voice. As he fights, he's battling against two enemies. One is the enemy he sees before him, and the other is his demons."  
Lex's eyes went wide. How the heck could this girl know all this?!  
  
The Samurai sword cut through the skin of his chest once again, making another scratch in his white shirt.  
This time, the bounty hunter groaned to the sharp pain and fell on his knees.  
While Phantom Samurai stood over his fallen foe.  
He laughed. "Agent of Death? Man-hunter? Invincible Swordsman?! Ha! I guess I was wrong about you. And you've got this weirdo called Zoot all creeped out."  
Blade panted. He couldn't fight this enemy, and he couldn't dodge him. He was almost as tough as…  
"But Zoot ordered me to bring him your head, so a deal is a deal."  
The Samurai sword was raised overhead again.  
"See you in Hell, Cowboy Blade!"  
The blade came down.  
"NO!!"  
Sabe lunged herself at the Phantom, grabbing his by his waist and knocking him away from the bounty hunter.  
Blade looked up surprised.  
But not even Sabe was a mere match for the assassin as he shoved her down hard on her back.  
She didn't even have her staff with her. Saving Blade was far too important to her.  
The Phantom sneered underneath his cloak, and raised his sword again.  
"Since you are eager to die, I will send you with him!"   
Sabe's eyes went wide in horror as she realized that this was the end. She never expected it to come THIS soon.  
The blade came down again…..  
…and clashed into something that was definitely more harder and stronger than skin.  
"Huh?"  
Phantom Samurai looked up to see Blade with his sword in his hands, blocking his own Samurai sword from Sabe.  
With a bit of strength in his arms, Blade overpowered the assassin and forced him backwards.  
The Phantom laughed as he gained balance. "So, you finally decide to use that remarkable weapon at last. It still won't save you."  
Sabe got back up and stood behind Blade. And the drifter, along with others, watched in amazement as Blade raised his sword to the sky until he was cat-eye level the cross guard of his sword. He was ready to fight again.  
Blade grinned to Phantom Samurai.  
"I want to thank you, Phantom." he said.  
The assassin looked baffled. "What?"  
"For showing me that sometimes we have to do what we must to survive."  
Blade turned to the drifter behind him. "And that we also must take risks."  
The assassin snarled. "Oh, stop it with your sentimental crap and fight me!"   
Phantom Samurai charged with his Samurai sword ready.  
"Get back to the truck." Blade told Sabe.  
The drifter ran to the truck, but did not get back in with Ruby and Lex.  
"DIE!!"   
The Samurai sword slashed out at the bounty hunter, only to be intercepted again with the steel of Cowboy Blade's gothic-like sword.  
Each slash Phantom delivered, Blade would block it with even greater speed.  
It was as if he knew exactly what the assassin would do next.  
Sparks started to fly, but only from Phantom Samurai's sword as he was putting more strength into his blows.  
It wasn't even enough to make the bounty hunter lose his guard.  
Now, it was time.  
"Game time." Blade hissed.  
The warrior made circular patterns with his sword, Phantom Samurai trying to keep his own sword close to black the gothic sword of Blade, unaware that he was being drawn back.  
Now!!   
Blade did a quick nose dive with the tip of his sword, striking at the bottom of Phantom's hand, then stroke the Samurai's sword hilt upwards.  
The sword left Phantom's grasp and into the sky.  
Enough distraction for Blade to spin around and cut his sword in a curved arc, right through the assassin's chest.  
"ARGH!!"  
Phantom Samurai fell on his back with the large wound across his body from Cowboy Blade's sword.  
The fight was over. Phantom Samurai would finished.  
He sheathed his sword back in its harness, and Cowboy Blade walked away from his beaten adversary, just as the Samurai sword nose dived into the ground right next to Phantom Samurai's head.  
Blade looked to his three companions who watched him with awe.  
"Let's go. We must find Zoot."  
With that, Lex and Ruby were out of the truck, and along with Sabe and Blade walked down the stairway where the end of their journey was at foot.  
Blade turned as Lex and Ruby continued down. Sabe was right behind him.  
And he sighed.  
"Thanks." 


	14. The Maze

Chapter 13  
The Maze   
  
Lex held the torch up over his head as they all came down the steps.  
This was looking way too easy, and this place was built by probably the richest and most intelligent company of all time.   
And one could just wish they kept their big mouths shut, and Lex became one of them when he saw two paths.  
"Great." he sighed frustrated.  
"What's the matter, Lex? Scared of the dark?" Ruby teased.  
Lex gave her a look. "Oh ha ha, very funny. But for your information, there happens to be two paths!"  
"Then we go in the one that Zoot took." Ruby gave him a skeptical look.  
"There are footprints towards both passages." Blade revealed as he was the last down the steps with Sabe.  
Ruby flushed as she realized her mistake, and Lex's cocky look wasn't helping.  
She stuck her tongue out at him.   
"Hey now, don't tease me." Lex smirked. "There is something I'd like to do with that tongue."   
"Will you two take a break on your little sexcapades and concentrate on the mission at hand?" Sabe called to them while beside Blade.  
Lex rolled his eyes. "A guy just can't have some fun around here…." He paused as he heard a crunching sound of glass under his foot. He stepped back and saw a nearly crushed small crystal on the ground.  
It was the size of a small rock, and Lex knew just what type of crystal it was.  
He kneeled down and picked it up, examining the crystal himself.  
Yes, this was definitely…  
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked concerned.  
Lex stood back up and looked to his companions. "Tai-San told me about these things. They're called Jina Gems. They're like…mystical compasses or something. If they glow, that means that your heading in the right direction. If the don't glow, then…you get the point."   
Jina Gems. Blade looked to the tiny gem in Lex's hand.   
What he knew, Lex was about to say, "But these are just a myth though. How could Zoot have gotten one?"  
"Not one, Lex." Sabe spoke up and raised up yet another gem.  
"Wait. I've heard this story from my grandfather back when he was in the war. When he was taken prisoner, his cell mate told him the story of Jina-Kazu, a demon sorcerer who invented these to escape the dark realm." Ruby explained. "But…Blade, what's going on?" All turned to the bounty hunter.  
Blade sighed. None of this was making any sense now. Then again, there was a reason for Zoot returning from the…  
His eyebrows furrowed down. He realized it all now.  
"The gems were not created by a demon, I assure you all. But I do know who made them now. But it will have to wait till later." Blade turned to the two passages. "We'll have to split up. Ruby, you come with me. Lex, you're with Sabe."  
"Whoa whoa!" Lex shouted. "Who exactly made you leader of this outfit?"  
If only Lex could see the eyes of the warrior, he would cower in more fear than from the look he knew Cowboy Blade was giving him.  
"Mind if I tag along?" came a male voice from behind.  
They all looked to a tall and thin young boy around the age of 17 with a long-sleeve dark blue shirt, a brown leather vest, black pants, and black army boots. Red and black streaks were painted across his eyes from temple to temple of his brown haired head.  
"Sieban?" Blade exclaimed.  
Lex looked ready for a fight. "You following us, boy?"  
Sieban chuckled. "No. I would have no intention of following a guy who has no sense of direction. But you," he looked up to Blade and smiled, "Long time no see, Old Horse."  
Blade sneered at the mention of his nick name from Sieban.  
The bounty hunter and the mysterious Sieban walked up to each other, arching up their forearms and clasping hands as if they were arm-wrestling.   
"It's good to see the Fates are letting you live this far, Old Horse."  
Blade moved his hand away. "I really hate that name."  
After a brief pause, Sieban laughed.  
"Uh, excuse me?" Ruby waved her hand in the air to get the bounty hunter's and Sieban's attention.  
"Could you guys like put some light on the subject here?" she gave them a look.  
"I…would be most honored, milady." Sieban kissed the back of her hand like a gentleman, and speaking with a seductive voice that it even seemed to attract both Ruby and Sabe.   
"I am Sieban the Poet. The very best of poetry, knife-fighting, and knife-throwing." he took a bow.  
"A poet?" Lex smirked. "What's a poet doing down here?"  
"Well, I'm thinking we're here after the same goal." Sieban looked to Blade.  
"Zoot." they both said.  
"And you know why he's here." Blade crossed his arms.  
Sieban shook his head. "No clue whatsoever. I'm only here to get revenge on the bastard. And…I knew somehow you would be coming as well. Call it a sense of a good friend's intentions."  
Blade nodded. "Well then, change of plans. Sieban goes with Lex and Sabe to the right, Ruby and I will go left."  
Sieban gave him a skeptical look. "Typical of you, Old Horse. Working alone as usual."  
"I'm not going to be alone." he nodded to Ruby's direction, then looked to her. "Let's go."  
She shook her head and headed off with him.  
Sabe just watched them go.  
"Well," Sieban put an arm around Sabe, "I guess that leaves just us…and the boy over there."  
"Boy?!!" Lex exclaimed.  
Sabe shrugged his arm off and walked on down the path Blade had given them.  
"So it seems her heart is already set." Sieban smiled with his arms behind his back. "Just like I thought."  
"What are you babbling about, Poet?" Lex glared at him as he walked on.  
"I presume the true intentions of the heart are matters out of your hands, good sir." Sieban remarked as he walked after them.  
  
"Blade? About this Sieban, do you…trust him?" Ruby asked.  
The bounty hunter gave her a quick glance before looking back up. "I trust no one but myself."  
Ok, so maybe that was coming, she thought.  
"I mean, will everything be ok with him alone with Sabe and Lex?" Ruby asked.  
"Sieban is a good person with a good heart. He doesn't believe in power and chaos or corruption for the matter. He's a protector of the peace, as well as a lady's man from his background." Blade explained. "He was telling the truth."  
"Ah." Ruby nodded her head.  
Blade came to a halt. She didn't notice until a few minutes when she turned to him.  
Before she could speak, the ground beneath her gave away as she was falling into a rather large hole.  
But a gloved hand had grabbed her wrist before she could fall any further.  
With wide eyes full of panic, she found comfort when realizing that Blade had just saved her.  
He pulled her back up to the ground with such strength.  
"W-what just happened?" she asked still a bit shaky from her near fall.  
"It appears Pandorax meant for no one to find this weapon. But if Zoot passed here, then it was his followers who've done this."  
There was a sudden hissing noise from behind. Far behind. Both Blade and Ruby turned to see a strange wall of red beams.  
"Run." Blade told her.  
"What…?"  
"Just run!" Blade grabbed her hand and lead her quickly down the path.  
The first trap must have been a switch or an alarm possibly.  
Blade stopped again with Ruby beside him as he noticed holes in the walls.  
TOO many holes to be exact.  
Blade carried Ruby in his arms, holding her close to him tightly.  
"Wait! Blade what are you doing?!" Ruby cried.  
"Hide your face and don't look!" Blade told her.  
The bounty hunter looked back to see the wall of red beams coming at them.  
….NOW!!….  
Blade charged down the path, then started twisting and turning out of each arrow that came at his body.  
The arrows were still flying, but those that touched the red beams were cut in half.  
Ruby had seen this, and now knew why Blade was running from the beams.  
The thought of being sliced into four pieces wouldn't leave her mind.  
  
"Hey, uh Sabe?" Lex spoke up as he caught up beside the drifter.  
"Yes, Lex?" she looked to him.  
"Uh…I uh…just wanted to ask you something." He hesitated for a moment. "I don't want it to feel like I'm dragging my nose in where it doesn't belong."  
"Could've fooled me." Sieban mumbled from behind.  
"Will you shut up!" Lex hissed.  
"I was only telling the truth." Sieban innocently shrugged.  
"ANYWAYS," Lex looked back to Sabe, "Do you love Blade?" he asked.  
Sabe was surprised by that. Were her feelings for the bounty hunter really that noticeable?  
"I mean, you only have known us for like two days counting today now, but it always looks like you've known him for a lifetime from the way you look."  
She looked up at Lex even more surprised to hear him say this. Even Sieban was cut off guard.  
"Hey, I was married twice, remember? Tai-San was my truest love, and I always looked at her the way you look at Cowboy Blade."   
"So that's why you and Ruby have problems." Sabe laughed.  
"What?" Lex confusingly asked.  
"You still are not over your Tai-San, and that's probably what's causing you to get close to Ruby, or any girl for that matter. You feel like your betraying her with another woman though technically you're not married anymore." Sabe told him.  
Lex looked a way for a moment as everything she was saying sunk deep within.  
Maybe she was right. No, she WAS right. Maybe Lex was putting on all the wrong moves and holding back to make it seem like he wanted just a fun-filled night with a woman.  
Well, now he knew what to say to Ruby….  
"Tai-San? Is she a shaman?" Sieban asked.  
Lex and Sabe looked to over to him. "Something like that. Why?" Lex asked.  
Sieban shook his head. "No reason. I just thought I…recognized the name." he lied.  
But Lex and Sabe seemed to accept the answer and turn back around.  
So this is the guy, Sieban thought sadly.  
"But back to the question now. Sabe, do you love Blade?" Lex asked again.  
Sabe sighed as she thought of how to answer.  
Before she could, Sieban pointed out ahead of them.   
"It would seem that we're here."  
Up ahead were two Zootists guarding an entrance.  
  
Cowboy Blade, the man-hunter and "Agent of Death" was more than fast for a average human.  
He had to be going faster than a car, but so were those energy beams coming up from behind.  
With Ruby still cradled in his arms, Blade had passed all sorts of deadly traps in this path from arrows to ditches to fire to a pool of lava to some more holes and then to pretty sharp spikes coming out of both the ceiling, the walls, and the ground.  
But nothing could prepare the saloon owner for what was up ahead.  
A huge ditch, probably long as the Grand Canyon itself, was just up ahead at the end of the passage.  
That's when Blade started running faster.  
"Oh my god…Blade don't do this! BlaaaAAADDEEE!!!" Ruby screamed as the bounty hunter leaped forward.  
She closed her eyes, hoping her death would be quick.  
But death didn't come for them today. All she felt was air even in his arms.  
And then she nearly fell out of his arms when she felt him roll atop of ground then get back on his feet.  
"You can open your eyes now. We're safe." he reassured her.  
She hesitated for a few seconds, her body trembling from the fear within her.  
"Ruby." he said her name.   
No. It wasn't Blade. It was…Lex?  
Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Lex, Sabe, and the guy called Sieban looking at her in Blade's arms.  
Sabe was look rather a bit jealous, and envious too that Ruby would be in the bounty hunter's arms.  
Ruby let out a sigh of relief and got back to her feet.  
The second she stepped on ground, she flung right into Blade's arms.  
"Oh thank you!" she laughed. Then kissed him rather passionately, taking Blade by full surprise.  
She then pulled away, and swatted him across his chest. "You big jerk! You could've gotten us killed! Don't you care about anyone but yourself?!"  
For the first time ever, Blade was unable to speak back.  
"If you are quiet done," Sieban the Poet spoke out rather loud, "We have made it just in time for the party."  
He waved is hand to the unconscious Zootists guards.  
Blade took a deep breath and exhaled as he stretched his arms and rolled is head back.  
The time was now.  
"Game time." 


	15. Ragnarok Awakens

Chapter 14  
Ragnarok Awakens….  
  
This was it. One more step and Cowboy Blade the legendary bounty hunter, Lex the deputy sheriff of the city, Ruby the owner of Liberty's saloon, Sabe the drifter, and Sieban the Poet would be in the fight of their lives perhaps.  
At least to them.   
The step was taken by Blade, and they came into rather large room. A metal room which was very unusual to be inside a cave.  
So this is it. They've reached the secret laboratory of Ragnarok.  
But this didn't look much like a lab. It looked more like a…  
"Oh damn." Blade sighed.  
Sabe turned to the bounty hunter. "What is it?"  
"This is a hanger." he said.  
And there were about to find out for what when suddenly a large lizard-like robot with camouflage covers of steel arose from the other side of the hanger.  
Everyone's but Blade's and Sieban's eyes went wide.  
"What the hell is that?! Godzilla?!" Lex exclaimed. "It's freaking huge!!"  
Sieban looked to the bounty hunter. "So this is Ragnarok."  
The lizard robot stopped as it stood on all fours, still like a statue. Beside the robot, a figure laughed so wickedly it would haunt anyone in their nightmares.  
A laugh that only could belong to one person. The tyrant of power and chaos known only as Zoot.  
And now he was looking different.  
No longer was he wearing his normal war clothes, the police jacket. He now wore a odd-looking skin tight suit. But his police man cap remained over his head.  
The left side of his chest was Pandorax's logo.  
"EVERYONE!! BEHOLD!! THE ULTIMATE WEAPON…THE MOBIL GEAR WEAPON, RAAAGGGNAAAROOOOK!!" he roared as he waved his hand to the suit.  
Mobile gear…than that suit…  
"And this…is the key to controlling it." Zoot nodded his head. "That's right. I've learned how about it all. It seems I didn't need the code from Ram after all."  
Blade unsheathed his sword and aimed the tip at Zoot. "You've got a bounty on your head. I've come to collect."  
"Ah yes." Zoot smirked. "You are the legendary bounty hunter I hear constantly of. Cowboy Blade. Besides the hat, you don't look much of a cowboy to me."  
Behind Zoot stood his Zootists. They were all women. Lex even recognized Java next to him.  
"This suit is what they called "smart skin." It contains nano-machines that allow any movement of my body to be mimicked by Ragnarok." Zoot raised his hand, and Ragnarok did the same to everyone's surprise. "And that means I have control, and I have power."  
Ragnarok swung its arm down at Blade.  
"POWER AND CHAOS!!" Zoot shouted.  
Blade jumped back, moving along with his companions. The bounty hunter sneered at Zoot.   
"Do you honestly think you can uphold this much power?! You fool!" Blade spat. "You sold your soul to the devil, Zoot! Whatever they promised you will not be fulfilled!"  
Zoot's eyes went wide. He never expected…  
"So," he said to the bounty hunter, "You've figured it out, haven't you."  
The tyrant chuckled slightly. "Yes, indeed it's all true. I was promised power and chaos, and all HE…well, he didn't say what he wanted. He just told me in time."  
He? Just one person?  
Blade had a feeling he knew who it was. Had Dr. Zachary returned, or was it his so-called good guy assistant?  
He would have to find out later, because right now Zoot was not looking for anymore conversation.  
"You all distract his warriors. I'll deal with Zoot and Ragnarok myself." Blade told his companions.  
"No, you can't handle that thing on your own!" Sabe cried.  
Blade looked down to the drifter. And for a moment, his features were not hard…but rather calm.  
No more words were exchanged.   
Sabe nodded her head. "Be careful."  
"Hey! Why don't I fight Zoot and you can fight Ragnarok?" Lex insisted.  
"If you really killed him it would've haunted you, but if you want to then so be it." Blade told him.  
"Hey wait! This guy killed Zoot…" Sieban began until he saw the Zootists coming after. "Guess this will have to wait."  
Sieban unsheathed two knifes from his vest, Ruby snapped her whip back, and Sabe prepared her staff while Lex and Blade made their way over to Zoot and Ragnarok  
This was going to be one hell of a battle to remember.  
  
Lex smirked as he held up his balled up fists to Zoot. "Hey there, cutie. Remember me?"  
Zoot smirked as well. "If it ain't my old pal, Lex. I owe you a lot, my friend."  
The two circled each other.  
"You killed me right before eyes of my daughter and the woman I loved. How do you think that makes me feel?" Zoot titled his head to the side.  
"The same as this is gonna feel when I'm done with you!"  
Lex threw the first punch, but it was intercepted by a very familiar face. The deputy scowled at the woman in front of him now. "Hello Java."  
"Evening Lex. And that's Queen Java to you!"  
Lex was shoved back from her kick to his ribs, and Java followed after him while her master watched.  
Zoot felt a little displeased though. Oh well, he'll get a shot at Lex after he finished off the bounty hunter….  
"Disappointed about your dance partner gone? Don't worry, I'll be glad to fill in his shoes."  
Zoot laughed as he turned to face Blade. "And what makes you think you can defeat me now. I'm more powerful than ever."  
And now Ragnarok was right behind Blade. The bounty hunter was able to do a cartwheel before getting squashed by Ragnarok's hand.  
This thing was powerful indeed when he saw the whole it's own metallic claws had caused.  
Then its tail swung at him, and Blade was fast enough to jump over its tail. But not fast enough to jump back up again when the tail boomeranged back at Blade and knocked him right across the steel floor.  
Zoot laughed to the sound of impact from the bounty hunter's barely moving body.  
"I told you, Blade! I have become more powerful than any you have ever known!"  
Blade struggled to get back on his feet, his sword had been knocked away a few distance out of his hand.  
….Need…need to get my…sword….  
Blade tried to run, but his dizziness was still bare from the impact of Ragnarok's tail.  
He was just a few more inches away as he reached out his gloved hand and….  
…and then found himself in the tight clutches of Ragnarok's steel claws. He felt like he could explode at any minute from Ragnarok's grip.  
And Zoot came around the corner, chuckling evilly again. "Oh how easy this had been."  
He then noticed the gothic sword on the ground. He picked it up and examined carefully. "Hmm. This sword is…truly unique. It looks 15th century. But then again no, it looks much more older."   
Zoot looked up to Blade's sneering but painful expression.  
"A trophy," he held up the sword," just like your head will be for all to see who gave death to the Agent of Death himself."  
Zoot's grin disappeared and he lifted up the sword…or at least tried to until it fell on the ground again.  
It was more heavier than he thought. The tyrant struggled to lift it again, but it wouldn't budge.  
Through his pain, Blade laughed.  
"What's so funny?" Zoot asked in a exasperated tone.  
"You." Blade grinned wide. "You say…you're all powerful now. The truth is that you're weak, Zoot."  
And there was a clang from the Ragnarok's claws surrounding Blade, and slowly with all his strength that could not possibly be human pulled the clutches apart.  
Zoot tightened his hands together. "We'll see about that!"  
The strength of Ragnarok's grip was becoming stronger, but the bounty hunter was proving that his will was far stronger than any as the claws still were being separated from his body.  
And finally the bounty hunter was free and delivered a hard jab to a stunned Zoot. His sword flew straight over them.  
Zoot touched the blood on his face, and glared up at bounty hunter. "How…could a mere man like you….do this?!"  
"Who…said…I….was a mere man?" Blade smirked as he panted.  
And suddenly, the tyrant himself grinned. "I did. Because I am a god…and now I shall prove it by destroying what you care most about!" Zoot looked up to the Ragnarok. "FIRE LASER CANNON!!"  
Another clanging was heard right above the warrior's head. Blade looked up to see the mouth of Ragnarok open, and inside was a round glowing blue crystal.  
There was a hissing, and Ragnarok began to shake as its head was aiming directly at where Sieban, Sabe, and Ruby were fighting.  
Blade's eyes went wide underneath the rims of his hat as he looked down at Zoot. "You'll kill your own followers."  
"Sacrifices must be made to achieve domination, my friend. Now observe!"   
The cannon was charging. It would only be a matter of seconds now.   
Zoot couldn't wait to see the look on Blade's face to see his friends dead. But when he saw the visible parts of the bounty hunter's face, Blade looked calm.  
And the cannon….suddenly seized.  
The crystal stopped glowing and smoke foamed within the open mouth of Ragnarok.  
"W-what's going on?! Fire damn it!" Zoot shouted to Ragnarok.  
Blade raised his hand up and caught his sword by his handle. "It looks like you needed the code after all."   
Zoot looked to his enemy confused.  
"Ragnarok didn't fully energize and suffered a power overload."  
Blade spun around and leaped into the air and his sword cut through Ragnarok's head like butter.  
Just in the few moments it had been attacking Cowboy Blade, Ragnarok was now no more.  
"NO!! MY POWER!! MY DREAMS!!" Zoot cried. "THIS CANNOT BE…!!"  
Blade edged his sword at Zoot. "Now, how about trying to fight without a titan at your command?"   
"My. The tides certainly have turned, haven't they?" came a voice.  
  
Sieban cut his knife across the Zootist's shoulder and knocked her out with the butt of the knife's hilt.  
The Zootists were defeated after Sabe tripped another Zootist with her staff and Ruby pulled her whip back that was latched around another Zootist's leg.  
"My. The tides certainly have turned, haven't they?" came a voice that caught all their attention.  
  
Blade's eyes went slit and cold as ever when he realized who was speaking.  
A elder man dressed up in a descent looking suit with a Pandorax name tag attached to his coat pocket.  
He was leaning on a black cane with a golden top.  
So it wasn't Dr. Zachary after all.  
"President Evon Pandorax." Blade hissed.  
Sabe's staff dropped to the ground as she gasped.  
"An…adult alive?!"  
"Don't find it hard to believe." Sieban sighed. "He is the founder of Pandorax Incorporations."  
The man chuckled lightly. "That I am, my boy. That I am."  
President Pandorax looked to Zoot. "Get out of here and head to Hope Island back home. You'll know the rest when you get there."   
Zoot nodded and rushed off.  
"You just cost me a bounty, Mr. President." Blade scowled. "Now I really hate you even more than before."  
"Before?" the man walked closer to Blade, sizing the warrior up. And then it hit him.  
"Ah I see. You were part of ELITE." the president of Pandorax sighed with a smile. "Forgive me for not remembering your name. Well, that's mostly because of your hat there. And another part of it is if you become just as LEGENDARY as Cyrus…"  
Blade's eyes went wide. "Cyrus!"  
President Pandorax laughed. "Ah, Cyrus was truly brilliant." His face suddenly fell. "Perhaps to brilliant."  
The president swirled his cane around his hand and bowed. "Forgive me for being rude, but I'm afraid I have engagements to keep and I'd rather not be late."  
With that, the man left.  
Blade was about to follow him, until he heard a computerized female voice say, "Self-Destruct sequence in one minute."  
Blade groaned as he harnessed his sword and turned to the others. "Let's go!"  
"Hey, wait up!" Lex shouted as he came back into the room with Java tied up, and Ebony on the other side of Lex.  
"Where've you been, you big jerk!" Ruby demanded.  
Lex shrugged. "Taking care of business. Everyone that doesn't know this woman, this is Ebony…" Lex pointed to Ebony.  
"Introductions later, boy! Right now…" Sieban began.  
"BOY?!!" Lex exclaimed.  
"…this place is coming down in less then a minute now! Let's go!"  
And the all ran with Java as their prisoner, that is except Blade who looked to where the president had vanished.  
Sabe looked back to him. What's wrong with him, she thought.  
"Blade! Come on! It's too late!" she cried.  
Blade straightened his leather raincoat and hurried out with her. 


	16. Heading Back Home

Chapter 15  
Heading Back Home  
  
Ebony was the first to come out from the passage. She turned to help Lex force Java out and the others joined the surface.  
When Blade was the last to emerge, he noticed something was missing when he looked to the ground where blood was mixed in with sand.  
"Sieban?" Blade called to the poet.  
"Present." Sieban answered as he turned to his old friend.  
"Did you happen to see a man hidden in a brown cloak with a Samurai sword?"  
The poet thought for a moment. "I didn't see anyone when I went down. Why, is there suppose to be another addition to this group?"   
Blade didn't answer back. Phantom Samurai may be a lot tougher than he gave him credit for.  
The bounty hunter sheathed his sword into its harness and turned to Ebony with Sabe beside him.  
For a moment, the warrior queen and Cowboy Blade just stared at each other rather coldly.  
The corner of her mouth curved up in a lopsided grin. "Cool hat."  
Blade then turned to Lex. "She's why you came with us." It was a statement. Lex nodded his head with a grin.  
"I did it for Siva. She was worried like crazy about Ebony." Lex admitted. Ruby looked to him, and he caught her gaze. He gave her a small smile. A smile that meant a whole lot to her, for that's when she knew that he was in love with her.  
Lex rubbed the back of his neck when he looked to Ebony. "Er...I thought it would be a good idea to tell you now since we're all the way out here. Jay and Trudy..."  
"It doesn't matter, Lex." Ebony frowned. "Jay and I were already over before anything could happen." With that, the warrior queen headed to the truck with Java in hers and Sieban's custody.  
Lex followed her, walking pass Ruby. But not before he leaned to her and whispered in her ear. "And that was only the second reason I came."   
She smiled as Lex sat into the driver side of the truck. So even the womanizing Lex had changed as well. He wasn't the only one as Cowboy Blade, the legendary stone hearted bounty hunter, felt a new change within him.  
Looking upon the group, he realized now that he had what he never wanted....friends. A family.  
And it was all thanks to Sabe as well. Blade turned to Sabe, but the drifter was no longer there.  
He searched for her for awhile, but there was not a single trace of Sabe.  
"Hey. Where's Sabe?" Ruby asked from the truck. Blade sighed heavily as he looked out into the distance.   
"She...left, I guess." he replied.  
The warrior then turned to his companions, including the three new passengers, counting the reluctant Java, Ebony and Sieban.  
"Let's go home." he told them, then mounted his Ninja motorbike.  
"oh thank God." Ruby sighed in relief and laid back against her seat in between Sieban and Lex.  
The truck was the first to ride off, while Blade looked out to the desert. Many more questions rained on his mind. The President of Pandorax was alive. But how? And Why? And who the hell was this Sabe?   
But the darkest of his pondering thoughts was one of Cyrus. Was his mortal enemy truly alive?  
These questions would have to wait. They would all have to. But not for long. Not for long.  
Cowboy Blade started up the engine of his motorbike and followed after the truck with his friends.  
  
"So, you're saying we should have both a real band and a DJ as well?" the captain asked.  
"Of course!" the device spoke. "That way you can attract a lot more people! Not everyone likes the same thing, you know. At least that's what I've learned of you humans."  
"Right." the captain looked oddly to the device. "I'll see what we can do."  
The captain started walking away, mumbling, "It couldn't be a dog."  
"I heard that. Now, I think it's time for our next stop to be...Hawaii!"  
  
"It seems I've clearly underestimated him." President Pandorax watched the large screen of Blade fighting Zoot and the Ragnarok.  
The warrior was a lot more stronger than he thought. This was proven to him when he freed himself from the metal hands of Ragnarok which would take twenty men to pry open.  
He had to admit though that Ragnarok was a huge loss for both him and Zoot.  
But the founder of Pandorax Incorporations still had need of Zoot. At least for one last thing.  
He still had the high-tech ninja armor known as "Super Skin."   
And soon he would have the sword. It was all a matter of time now before President Evon Pandorax would all for his little helper again.  
In the meantime, he would be patient.   
He turned back to his desk and pressed a red stud on the small monitor.  
"Sir?" a bald old-aged man looked to the screen.  
"Dr. Cartel. How is our champion holding up?" the president asked.  
"Just well, sir. Everything is ready. Now all we have to do now is prepare his weapons. Do you need him right away, sir?"  
"No, Cartel. Do take your time. But not too long."   
He pressed the red stud again and the monitor turned off. The doors to his office opened, and he looked up see his loveliest creation walking towards his desk. He smiled widely and raised out his arms as he stood up from his chair.  
"My lovely Sabe. Back from our little trip I see. Did you have fun?" he asked.  
"I've downloaded the information on the target's whereabouts." she spoke with no emotion like she had with Blade.   
"Good." Pandorax brought his arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the office. "I want all information downloaded in your databank." 


	17. Prelusions of the Future

Chapter 16  
Prelusions of the Future  
  
"Look at him! He's incredible!" Pandorax chuckled as he watched the large screen in the observatory. The clips were the memory Sabe, Pandorax's android bodyguard, had downloaded from her journey with Cowboy Blade. Right now, they were watching the fight between Cowboy Blade, Zoot, and the Ragnarok. "I'd say he's almost to the level of Cyrus, wouldn't you Cartel?" the founder of Pandoras Incorporations looked to the middle-aged scientist next to him. Cartel only rubbed his chin. "W-well sir. I really don't know what to say, other than HE is a failed experiment."   
"Failed?" Pandorax laughed. "Failed, Cartel? Failed because this Cyrus-clone has a personality of his own?! That's nothing. We can turn him into a loyal soldier again. We have the technology to do it."  
The scientist looked to his boss confused. Numerous times he had heard Pandorax's appraisals of Cyrus. The Great Cyrus.   
"But sir, what about our target..."  
"I'm just considering, Cartel, that just incase of...anything...this young man will be our back up plan." The classy dressed man turned to his employee. "When it comes to the best, I'm always come in first. Always."  
  
"So I see." Reaper replied after Cowboy Blade had discussed the entire trip to Death Valle yesterday.   
"And Sabe disappeared?" Reaper asked.  
"Nowhere to be found." Blade answered as he took a swing of his water. The two sat silent for a few moments. Before, they had talked a good bunch which was a real, real surprise and treat for Reaper. Cowboy Blade never really talked and was cold-shouldered. Now, he was quiet different than before. Almost anyways.  
Then, Reaper started up. "You rememba dos Demolition Pirates dat gave you trouble on the pier?"  
Blade nodded. "Had a road battle with them."  
"Well, whatever you did to them, their beating didn't end there. Some assassin killed their leader. Dey said he was looking for you. Some clown dressed up in black."  
Edge, Blade thought. He must want a rematch with the bounty hunter. Well, anytime he was ready, Blade would be ready.  
"Oh yah. Dis came for you." Reaper handed over a fax to Blade, and Blade read it.  
  
BLADE  
NEED HELP! NOVALEE KIDNAPPED! MEET AT PHOENIX MALL!  
  
There was no name of the author sending the fax, but Blade didn't need to know.   
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Reaper smirked, but was nonetheless concern for his friend.  
"It's nothing." Blade told him. "Just an old friend calling me up." With that, Cowboy Blade finished his drink and stood. "It's been good seeing you again, Cowboy. Hope you make it back safe." Reaper held out his hand, and Blade shook it.  
The bounty hunter said nothing and walked over to where the cruise ship was waiting, and where his companions were waiting as well.  
I found her, he thought. I actually found her!  
  
Perfect. Everything was going perfect. Just like the doctor had planned himself. Joe felt confident as well for his knowledge in different forms of science, mostly computer programming.  
Joe looked over his shoulder at his boss. A elderly man wearing a white labcoat and a Pandorax Incorporations name tag on his coat pocket.  
"Dr. Zachary, I've locked in on the files." he informed.  
"Ah. Very good, Joe. Now, download them all." Dr. Vincent Zachary looked to three fully functional pods hooked together by his very own super computer. "Soon as we have the ELITE files, the better.   
And I will surpass the legacy of Dr. Light. and Dr. Kashima, and prove to them all that I'm more genius than any of them!  
It would only be a matter of time before he unlocked the secret of Dr. Kashima. And then they would all pay. Including his own son.  
  
Lightening crackled against the earth, and thunder boomed through the dark clouds and sky.  
On the very top of the mountain, he rose his arms, his fists aiming at the heavens. It was only a matter of time now.  
Not even the thunder was loud enough as he bellowed a mighty roar. A aura of red energy surrounded his body as he roared to the heavens.  
The world...would soon be his. 


End file.
